ON her Pride in Mann nomination form, Sulby’s Jeanette Arnold described Age Concern’s Gail Corlett as ‘one amazing lady’.
Jeanette put Gail – the supervisor at Onchan’s Meadow View Day Centre – forward for the customer service award after seeing the exceptional care her father was receiving.
Jeanette wrote: ‘Our family was in despair until I called Gail. My dad, Raymond Clague, has Parkinson’s and memory problems and had to be watched all the time.
‘He now does four days a week at the centre. They play games, do activities and have sing-songs to name but a few. Gail is always there at the end of the phone. She has been caring for many years and she is one amazing lady.’
Jeanette added: ‘The whole team at Onchan make such a difference to people who need the respite. And they are always so happy to talk to the family with any problems they may have.’
Gail was embarrassed to learn she had been nominated, and was very quick to point out it is all of the staff that help care for Raymond.
‘That’s really nice,’ beamed Gail upon hearing the news. ‘Ray is lovely too, he’s been coming here two years and really settled in well, he’s absolutely hilarious!’
{http://www.iomtoday.co.im/community/pride-in-mann|click here to see the other nominees}.
Gail, 45, left school with ambitions to become a nurse, but without the qualifications she decided to go to college to earn an NVQ in social care. She has since become qualified as a tutor, and helped put six of her staff through the NVQ course.
‘It’s hard to get into work without qualifications,’ said Gail. ‘I’ve trained people my age who had never even learned how to use a computer.’
All of this work helped her earn the Rotary Club award for best vocational student in May this year, which Gail described as ‘a lovely surprise as it has never been given to anyone in social care before’.
At the same award ceremony Gail also collected the Department of Social Care’s outstanding contribution award, cementing her reputation as a dedicated carer.
‘I feel we are a really good team,’ said Gail of the Onchan day care centre. ‘I enjoy it. There’s lots of people out there who need this kind of help.’
{http://www.iomtoday.co.im/community/pride-in-mann|click here to see the other nominees}.
Nominations for Pride in Mann have now closed.