A HEALTH care worker, who taught someone to live independently again so she could return home to her children, is calling on others to consider a career change.

Sheryl (Shez) Adams, a senior health care assistant at Exemplar Health Care’s Cheshire Springs care home in Ellesmere Port, had worked as a teaching assistant for 14 years.

While she loved the work, she often found that ‘something was missing’ and longed to make a more positive difference in the community.

When Cheshire Spring’s opened in June 2022, Shez made a spur of the moment application.

Having been successful at interview, she made the difficult decision to walk away from the career she had known to join the care sector.

Cheshire Springs is a care home run by Exemplar Health Care, for adults living with complex needs arising from dementia, mental health conditions, neuro-disabilities and physical disabilities.

When Shez joined the home, she had never worked in care, but having received a full induction and robust training, she felt confident and eager to get started as a health care assistant.

She said: “Working on the Thomas Telford Unit at Cheshire Springs, I care for adults with neuro-disabilities and physical needs. It has been a challenge, but I have witnessed some of the most beautiful moments in life.”

As well as providing long-term support for people living with degenerative or life-limiting illnesses, Shez plays an instrumental role in supporting individuals on their rehabilitation journey from hospital to community-based living.

Recently, Shez was the driving force behind the rehabilitation of one person the home supported.

She added: "I will never forget when this lady came into Cheshire Springs. She had three school-age children and had fallen down the stairs in a freak accident, resulting in a brain injury that meant she now required one-to-one assistance 24 hours a day. She had severe memory loss, was unable to get washed herself or even make a cup of tea, and – understandably – because of how frustrating this was, she would often appear agitated.

“Cheshire Springs was the third care home she’d lived in under a year – the others just couldn’t meet her needs, and she’d had to move. This is really common for us, with many of the people we support having had a placement elsewhere fail, which is such a hugely disruptive experience for them. When she came into Cheshire Springs, she told me her dream was to go home to her children – but few believed it would be possible.”