A husband and wife with a love for helping people have joined the team at Downshaw Lodge care home in Ashton-under-Lyne.
Husband-and-wife team Catalin and Irina Babici have each worked in the care sector for more than two decades, and bring not only professional expertise but a deep, shared passion for care to their roles as manager and deputy manager.
They met during their first week at university in Romania, where they were studying social care, having felt a calling to help people in need. Catalin had previously studied theology and intended to become a priest but felt that a career in care would provide him with more opportunities to help people. Likewise, Irina spent several years volunteering with a Dutch charity that supported abused and neglected children.
Twenty-one years later, the couple are leading the team at Downshaw Lodge with a shared vision – to provide bespoke, person-centred care and support that enhances the quality of life for every resident.
Catalin Babici, manager at Downshaw Lodge care home, said: “We both felt a strong calling to help people. But I realised that working in care would allow me to support people in a more practical, day-to-day way. It’s a different kind of ministry.
“I consider myself incredibly lucky to have met such a wonderful woman during my first week at university, who I could not only build a life with, but a career too. We are both passionate about helping people in need. We talk about our residents all day at work, and when we go home. Our lives are dedicated to ensuring we can be a positive force in the world.”
Irina Babici, deputy manager at Downshaw Lodge care home said: “My experience working with children’s charities opened my eyes to the importance of compassion and consistency, and making sure a person’s needs are treated on individual basis.
“Everything we do is about the individual. We don’t believe in one-size-fits-all care. Everyone has a story, and our job is to listen and respond to that story with dignity and respect.”
Alison Boote, operations director at HCMS, the company which operates Downshaw Lodge, said: “Catalin and Irina are a remarkable team. Their commitment to quality care and their ability to inspire those around them is truly special and their impact on Downshaw Lodge has been amazing in a fairly short period of time. They’ve created a warm, welcoming environment where residents and staff alike feel valued.”
The welcoming purpose-built 45-bed care home is dedicated to high standards of individualised nursing and dementia care for men who have been assessed as needing support to manage behaviours. The renovated rooms at Downshaw Lodge provide safe, comfortable and welcoming personal spaces for residents, and have been refreshed with a contemporary new decor, soft furnishings and non-slip wooden flooring. Attractive and well-appointed communal areas and facilities include a ‘pamper’ bathroom with a hi-tech easy-access bath, a retro-styled barber’s shop, pub and a secure, peaceful dementia garden.
