Meet the West Abbey Care Home team

I am the Head of Unit for our Memory Lane Unit here at West Abbey, having transitioned across from being the Deputy Manager here.

I really enjoy working at Barchester, as it has a really good team spirit. There are always colleagues around to support and share best practice.

In my spare time, I am an avid reader and on my days off you can always find me with my nose stuck in a good book!

I began working at West Abbey in 2016 as a Senior Care Assistant, and took the opportunity to develop my skills by training to be a Care Practitioner. This roles means I can now support the nursing team with day-to-day tasks, such as administering medication and basic wound care.

I love working at West Abbey because you can progress in your career choices and you always get a lot of support from management.

Outside of work, my hobbies include gardening, cross stitch and reading.

After qualifying as a physiotherapist in 1987, Kevin moved to Canada to work for 2 years. Upon returning, Kevin worked in the NHS for several years before starting his own practice.

Kevin specialises in musculoskeletal conditions and care of the elderly and has taught courses to physiotherapists all over the world. Kevin has been working with us here since 2006.

Hello, my name is Sarah and I have been working at West Abbey for over 7 years, with around 17 years’ experience in care. I am passionate about my role as we, the team and I see so many residents laugh and smile daily as we provide a wide range of activities. The home team describe me as the ‘queen of crafts’ as I love to create handmade gifts with residents and for my family.

Outside of work I’m a scout leader for St Michaels Cubs and Beavers, being a leader for over 8 years and received my ‘wood badge’ known as beads which I’m very proud of, I involve the groups with our residents as we want to promote intergenerational activity which the residents love.

Family time is very precious, with 4 children it’s a busy life, living locally to West Abbey I’m involved and have contacts with lots of community groups – reach out to me at West Abbey if we can work on projects or ideas together

Hi I’m Louis. I have been working at West Abbey since 2007. I really enjoy cooking a wide range of different foods for our residents. I do this well with a wonderful and valuable team. Together we cook a lot of home hearted food for our residents. In my spare time I enjoy sightseeing and most of all my PlayStation.

Hi I’m Stephen. I have worked at West Abbey for over a year doing a variety of different jobs around the home! I have been doing activities for the past few months and I really enjoy it. I love being able to listen to our residents stories most of all. In my free time I enjoy reading, films and history.

Hello, I'm Ryan and I joined West Abbey in 2018 in Hotel Services team where I was nominated 2 years running in the Barchester Care Awards by residents and their families. I moved to Activities in June 2021 which suits my outgoing personality. I know our residents well and love seeing their enjoyment of the entertainment we provide plus going out into the community on our mini bus, I have lived in Yeovil all my life so know all the best places to visit. The team call me the 'IT hero' as I'm always able to resolve the connection issues with our virtual events and our computer / tablets!  

I've been working at West Abbey since 2019, and stepped up to the role of Head Housekeeper in 2020.

I am originally from Fiji, a small island in the south Pacific Ocean, and I am a mother of 4. I am a very family-oriented type of person.

One thing that I love about working at West Abbey is that I get to socialise with people, so the highlights of my day are being able to talk to all the residents living within the home.

Outside of work, my favourite things to do are outdoor activities with my family and friends out in the sunshine!

Siska Redman is the Music Therapist at West Abbey in Yeovil and Rothsay Grange in Andover.

After graduating from the prestigious, four-year Heidelberg Music Therapy course, she worked in Germany, Switzerland and Canada before settling down with her family in Somerset.

Siska brings excellence from leading European clinics for neurology and psychosomatics as well as knowledge in special education to her work in Barchester.

She is passionate about delivering music therapy which is fun and empowering. She seeks to open up a creative “headspace” for Barchester residents and staff and focuses on creating and encouraging an atmosphere of warmth and acceptance. Through music, Siska strives to increase the quality of life in the homes where she works.

At West Abbey’s award-nominated dementia unit, Lyde, we call our music therapy sessions ‘spontaneous person-centred music times’. In these sessions people are able to connect through music spontaneously, following the butterfly model developed by ‘Dementia matters’.

Sessions on our young person unit are mostly one-to-one, allowing space for self-expression and very carefully nurturing a musical dialogue.

Our elderly frail residents enjoy a more structured approach with singing groups and a community choir, a cheerful favourite with our residents. The choir sings songs from the war era to Hollywood and the Worzels. Over the years the choir has grown to a sparkly, sizeable choir with fantastic volunteers. It’s always a very happy occasion!

Music is at the heart of the home.