I started my internship at Middlefields House in March 2023. My job coach at college had heard about the opportunities here to do work experience. I spent 12 weeks rotating round different areas of the care home – laundry, housekeeping, the kitchen and the coffee shop.

I wanted to try something out and to help older people. I had two great grandmas when I was younger and I liked spending time with them. They both lived into their nineties. I remember that they were really kind and gentle. In particular, I remember one of my grandmas used to say “God bless” to me.

It was interesting seeing how different parts of the care home worked. I found the laundry fun and I liked sorting everyone’s clothes into the different places. Housekeeping involved keeping everything clean and tidy. When I was with the kitchen, I took the trays round to each household at mealtimes. In the coffee shop I helped with the teas and coffees, sometimes going into the kitchen and doing the washing up.

When the job of housekeeper came up the team encouraged me to apply. The interview must have gone well as I got the job and started at the end of May.

As a housekeeper, you get to talk to all the family members as you go round the different bedrooms and bathrooms. They are always very kind and thank me. Some in particular are very chatty – there’s a lady called Judy who will hug everyone she sees. Brian also likes to have a chat.

The job has not always been easy for me. I have autism and a learning difficulty. This means I can find too much information overwhelming. My manager, Dennise, has been very sensitive to this. She helped me by breaking down tasks step-by-step. That way I only have to focus on one thing at a time. This has made a big difference.

Another challenge I had was with keeping track of time. I found it easy to spend too long on one job. Dennise helped me by giving me a digital clock I can take round with me – we don’t carry phones on shift. Now I just have to keep an eye on that.