Nicky Short has been the Deputy Care Home Manager at Cedars for almost two years, although she has spent her entire working life helping others. She is a familiar face to staff, residents and visitors alike.
Helping to run a busy care home can have its stressful moments, but Nicky seems unflappable. She is resolutely upbeat, friendly and approachable. As we chat, she fields telephone calls and answers questions from staff, while also taking time out to speak to residents as they pass by her desk. She makes it all seem effortless. “My door is always open for residents and staff,” she says.
Nicky’s career began thirty years ago with the NHS, when she started work as a mental health nurse at the tender age of eighteen. She loved the challenge and variety of helping people with a diverse range of mental health needs; however, she quickly found that her real passion was caring for dementia patients. Over the course of her long career with the NHS she remained in frontline dementia care and eventually became responsible for dementia nursing across the entire Southend area. She mainly worked with patients in their own homes, but she also visited care homes in the region as part of her job. This was how she first got to know Cedars. “When this position became vacant, I was already familiar with Cedars and I liked what they were doing. I applied straight away.”
Nicky enjoys many aspects of her work at Cedars, but she particularly values the friendliness and the rapport between staff and residents, “I love the family atmosphere here,” she says. “You can have a good laugh with the residents, and you get to know their families as well. The residents all look out for each other. For example, if one is missing from dinner at least one resident will always ask after them or visit them in their room to make sure they are okay. It really is a very special place to work.”
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