A mother-of-two from Tonyrefail has been honoured with a silver award for her care of elderly people in their own homes.
Tracy Davies, who works for Home Instead Senior Care, travels round in the Ford Fiesta she calls her ‘mobile office’ looking after clients in Cowbridge, Pontypridd and Caerphilly.
Her kind heart and dedication to duty earned her a place in the finals of the Wales Care Awards, the industry’s most prestigious gongs, at Cardiff City Hall.
A former nursery nurse, she was recognised in the Promoting Fulfilled Lives category sponsored by Boots Healthcare.
She said: “I felt so honoured just to get through to the finals and would have been thrilled with a bronze award. To win silver was a very proud moment.”
She was nominated by colleagues who describe her as a ‘role model for what care should be.’
Day-to-day she helps her clients lead independent lives by lending a hand with shopping, cleaning and cooking food. But that’s not all.
She has stepped in to support families when a relative has passed away and has delayed taking her own holidays when clients are poorly.
She said: “Some need help with their personal care so making sure that is done with dignity and respect is really important. I try to see the ‘person’ and get to know my clients as individuals.”
Away from work, Tracy, 45, has teenage boys, aged 18 and 15, to care for.
She added: “I suppose I am a natural carer, it comes easy to me so working for Home Instead is something I really enjoy.”
Tracy has taken up lace-making with a client and reads the newspaper with a 98 year-old in the early stages of dementia.
Home Instead Operations Director Stephanie Davies said: “Tracy embodies the ideal care giver that I would place with any family member. Her work is constantly exceptional.
“She has received several ‘Team Member of the Month’ awards and is always thinking of ways to improve the service we provide, even little things.
“Once she called to say one of her ladies’ dishwashers was taking a while to fill during our visits and the dishes were just sitting there. Now everyone hand-washes the dishes when they visit.
“She goes the extra mile and we get comments from clients like ‘Tracy is made of diamonds and gold.’ Having her out there, constantly thinking about how we can provide the highest quality service possible is invaluable. It’s this thoughtfulness that made her so deserving of an award.”
The awards recognise the industry’s unsung heroes. Its main sponsors were Ontex Healthcare and Barchester Jobs.
MC for the evening was opera singer Wynne Evans – better known as Gio Compario in the Go Compare TV adverts.
Presenting Tracy’s award was Meri Huws, Welsh Language Commissioner for Wales.
Mario Kreft, the Chair of Care Forum Wales, said the standard of entries was extremely high.
He added: “There are only winners here tonight so it is only fitting that the finalists will receive a gold, silver or bronze Wales Care Award.
“I trust that they will continue to inspire those around them as role models and encourage others to aspire to even greater heights in the months and years to come.
“This awards ceremony is our opportunity to pay tribute and to celebrate the talent and commitment that is improving the quality of life for thousands and thousands of people throughout Wales.
“We take our hats off to them.”
