Local care home manager, Gemma Pearcey, is celebrating her ‘Decade of Dedication’ as she marks her tenth year at Herald Lodge care home in Coventry.
Gemma joined Herald Lodge in 2013 as a Bank Care Assistant. She chose a career in care after looking after a family member with dementia and wanted to give back to the older generation who needed help in fulfilling their lives, supporting them to maintain their hobbies and interests.
Gemma quickly gained confidence in her role and soon moved to a full-time position. In 2017, Gemma moved to a full time Senior Care Assistant role, where she spent three more years learning about Herald Lodge, and how to best care for their residents.
In 2020, Gemma was promoted to Deputy Manager and then progressed to Home Manager in 2022, having learnt everything about running a care home from Ideal Carehomes’ in-house academy, Ideal Futures.
Ideal Futures was designed to develop the skills of Ideal Carehomes team members who are looking to be home managers in the future.
Through eight monthly modules, participants learn the different elements of managerial roles in the care homes, from staff management and HR to budgeting and marketing.
Gemma said, ‘In my opinion, the best managers start in care and are promoted through different roles. This, alongside the knowledge I gained during the Ideal Futures course, gave me massive insight into how hard but rewarding a career in care is.
‘The most rewarding part of my role as Home Manager is seeing our residents live their best lives and seeing staff members strive to upskill themselves as I did.
‘I hope one day that I am cared for with the level of empathy and love that my team members give to our residents.’
84-year-old Herald Lodge resident, Maureen Murphy, added, ‘I’ve lived at Herald Lodge for six years now and I’ve always known Gemma to be an excellent carer. She knows her role so well and does a really good job.
‘Here’s to many more years at Herald Lodge, Gemma – wishing you all the best!’
