Eager primary school pupils visited a local care home after being inspired by a presentation about working in the industry.
The Primary 7 pupils from Gourock Primary School were motivated by a visit from Maclehose Court Service Manager, Mary Chisholm, during Careers Week and immediately asked to visit the care home to meet some of the residents.
The visit to the Greenock care home – which provides residential care for those with physical disabilities and sensory impairment – saw the pupils and residents come together and get to know each other through a variety of activities, including playing games and singing songs.
Mary was delighted the pupils were so keen on finding out more about the home and more than happy to organise the visit knowing how much the residents would also enjoy it.
She said: “I was thrilled when the school got in touch to say that the pupils were very keen to come and meet the residents and find out more about working in care.
“We try to encourage our residents to get out and about and involved in the local community as much as possible, so the children’s visit was perfect for this. Spending time with the pupils gave the residents such a boost as they love interacting with them.
“The kids hopefully found it useful to learn about these kinds of jobs, as they can often get overlooked at school. I’ve since heard that one girl from the class now has her heart set on a career in care, so I’m delighted about that.”
Laura Falkner, who teaches the Primary 7 class, said: “The pupils were admittedly a little nervous at first, as they weren’t sure how easily they would get along with the residents, but they were very excited to meet them and they hit it off really quickly.
“I think what has been most beneficial for both groups was realising how much they had in common and it was great to see them getting along so well.
Mary was previously welcomed into the Gourock Primary class to give a talk on the benefits of pursuing a career in the care industry, as well as highlighting important aspects of the job such as disability rights and values.
Laura added: “We are all also very thankful for Mary taking the time to come and visit our class as it was great to have a professional who really knew her stuff come and talk to the kids. Hopefully it has encouraged them to consider the care industry as a rewarding future career option.”
–
Edinburgh-based charity, Blackwood, has more than 1500 homes throughout the country making it a leader in helping those who are disabled, elderly or with sensory impairments to live more independently.
As it works in 29 of Scotland’s 32 local authorities, it is more widely dispersed than most other care or housing providers and has embraced the challenges of taking housing and care into innovative areas at a time when funding is increasingly limited.
Blackwood is also renowned for constantly pushing the boundaries of technology to allow property adaptations which make a huge difference to people with disabilities.
In September, Blackwood was praised for its forward-thinking annual exhibition at Our Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh, where it built a full scale, walk-through model of its dynamic concept house in just 24 hours.
