Devoting their lives to caring for the elderly

She entered the industry just five years ago, after caring for her own elderly father, George Davis, in Didcot before he passed away.

Following a stroke and a broken hip, social services started looking after him, but Mrs Meardon, 51, said: “They didn’t give him the time of day.

“It was like a conveyor belt. That’s what made me decide I wanted to be a carer.”

Our top stories

She took a job as a carer at The Meadows on Britwell Road, Didcot, in 2007, fitting her job around raising three children.

On Thursday, she was named as OSJCT Oxfordshire’s Carer of the Year.

The Hilary Drive, Didcot, resident said: “I thought I could make a difference, and I love it.

“I just feel so happy that I can make a real difference to a resident’s life.

“Families come back to you and can’t thank you enough, it just makes you feel it is worth it.”

At the ceremony, trust directors presented awards to more than 100 staff, for long service, dedication, leadership or volunteering.

Nomination forms are available at all OSJCT homes all year round, and anyone can make a nomination – staff, residents or their relatives.

Oxfordshire’s director of public health Jonathan McWilliam has described the county’s ageing population as the “number one health care challenge”. The number of over-85s is predicted to increase by 168 per cent between 2011 and 2035, from 14,683 to 39,400.

The OSJCT cares for about 1,000 elderly people in Oxfordshire at a cost of about £25m a year and has waiting lists for many of its homes.

But strategy director Sara Livadeas said care workers are still under-valued.

She said: “It’s seen as women’s work, it isn’t renumerated well in general, but dementia is an increasing problem.”

One in four people over 80 and nearly half of people over 90 in the UK have dementia.

The illness is correlated with age, so as the population lives longer, numbers increase, and Ms Livadeas said: “Life expectancy is increasing by the minute.

“That is why it is so important to value carers.

“For a lot of our staff, it is more of a vocation – they do it because they love the work, because they love people.

“We need to value our staff so that they value the residents. This is just a small token to show we do value them.”

The awards – certificates and flowers – were also presented to staff for earning qualifications and to whole homes for meeting the trust’s internal standards.

Operations director Dan Hayes told staff at the ceremony: “You do a challenging job.

“There is no higher-pressured job than yours and you do it extremely well – I can’t thank you enough.”

LEADERS OF THE YEAR.

Left to right, Julie Jeffery, Vilma Nuzi and Louise Axtell.

Julie Jeffery started working as a carer because she could fit the hours around raising four children.

Now, 29 years later, two of her daughters and her niece work with her at The Lake House in Adderbury and she says “I couldn’t think of doing any other job.”

As a care leader Mrs Jeffery, 53, is in charge of a team of carers, overseeing residents’ medication plans, GP visits and more.

OSJCT operations director Dan Hayes said: “Julie has given 16 years of service to The Lake House, and is highly respected in her post as care leader.

“She is a hard worker who is always willing to go the extra mile for residents and staff.

“Her friendly and supportive nature make it easy for staff to approach her with any issues which she is always pleased to help resolve.”

In return, Mrs Jeffery, of Banbury, said OSJCT felt “like a family” to her.

She said: “Residents’ families always thank you for looking after people, and they say they feel welcome in the house.”

Mrs Jeffery was one of three Leaders of the Year, along with Vilma Nuzi of Longlands, Oxford, and Louise Axtell, of Woodstock’s Spencer Court.

UNSUNG HERO.

Brian Cheeseman.

In an industry where about 80 per cent of staff are female, Brian Cheeseman is something of an anomaly.

Let go from his job at Basildon Dairy in Wantage after 20 years when it closed down, he answered an advert for a handyman at Stirlings care home, Wantage.

Now, five years on, he is hailed as one of the finest members of staff.

Mr Cheeseman, 60, said: “If I can walk into a room and everyone shouts “Brian!” at me, then I am happy.”

The grandfather goes above and beyond his job description of mending light fittings and loo seats.

He also grows flowers and vegetables in the home’s garden, which residents enjoy, and even lends a hand at other homes around the county.

The Orchard Way resident added: “I love it. I get to see the smiles on the residents’ faces. As long as they’re happy, I’m happy.”

He said he was flattered to receive his award, but added: “I’m not good in crowds, so I felt a bit embarrassed.

“It will go on the wall at work so all the residents can see it.”

HOSPITALITY AWARD.

Hospitality Award winner Joy Keen, of the Old Station House, Abingdon.

RECIPIENT of the Hospitality Award was Joy Keen, who works at the Old Station House in Abingdon.

She said: “There are an awful lot about care homes in the news at the moment, and if you can give someone a positive first impression, it can make all the difference.

“Maybe their mum doesn’t like the marmalade, and we can buy the one they like.

“We have one lady who likes Lurpak, so we buy it for her even though we don’t normally stock it.”

Joy’s job description says “cook”, but she does much more than that.

She recently started a residents’ catering committee, so she and her team can work out each resident’s likes and dislikes.

Mrs Keen, of Caldecott Road, Abingdon, said: “I like to meet people when they come in and find out the little things that are personal to them.

“They might like a cup of Bovril before they go to bed.

“Food is very personal, but you can also get a lot of conflict with it.”

Mrs Keen, 55, has worked for OSJCT for 11 years, but only moved to Old Station House a year ago, while her former home, Mayott House, Abingdon, is rebuilt.

She added: “This is my passion.

“I love the residents and I like treating them as individuals.”

THE ORDER OF ST JOHN CARE TRUST.

THE Order of St John Care Trust employs more than 4,000 staff to look after 3,500 clients in Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Lincolnshire.

The charity was founded so local authorities could outsource social care without handing it over to private companies.

The first local authority transfer was in Lincolnshire in 1994. The first Oxfordshire transfer followed in November 2001.

The charity spends a total of £110m a year, about £25m in Oxfordshire.

More than £20m of that comes from Oxfordshire County Council, which has contracted the trust to run Oxfordshire homes until 2028.

ROLL OF HONOUR: RECIPIENTS OF SPECIAL AWARDS.

• Carer of the Year

Finalists: Mitzi Hall, Spencer Court, Woodstock; Mary Condon, Meadowcroft, Thame; Lyn Mosher, Lake House, Adderbury
Winner: Trudy Meardon, The Meadows, Didcot

• Young Carer of the Year

Finalist: Charlie Osbourne, Stirlings, Wantage
Winner: Libby Walker, Townsend House, Oxford

• Leader of the Year

Winners: Julie Jeffery, Lake House, Adderbury; Vilma Nuzi, Longlands, Oxford; Louise Axtell, Spencer Court, Woodstock

• Hospitality Award

Finalists: Jessica Harling, Meadowcroft, Thame; Frazer Solomon, Townsend House, Oxford
Winner: Joy Keen, Old Station House, Abingdon

• Unsung Hero

Finalists: Kym Bosley, Chilterns End, Henley; Zsolt Cserba, Meadowcroft, Thame
Winner: Brian Cheeseman, Stirlings, Wantage

• Volunteer of the Year

Finalists: Sue Morton, Glebe House, Kidlington; Graham Thornton, Henry Cornish Care Centre, Chipping Norton
Winner: Christine Savage, Larkrise Care Centre, Banbury

• Long Service

35 Years: Particia Long, Meadowcroft, Thame
30 years: Valerie Curtis, Westgate House, Wallingford; Ann Jones, Westgate House, Wallingford
25 years: Critina Mackrell, Marton Court, Oxford; Tracy Griffiths, Henry Cornish Care Centre, Chipping Norton; Linda Hooker, Chilterns End, Henley

• Do you want alerts delivered straight to your phone via our WhatsApp service? Text NEWS or SPORT or NEWS AND SPORT, depending on which services you want, and your full name to 07767 417704. Save our number into your phone’s contacts as Oxford Mail WhatsApp and ensure you have WhatsApp installed.