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.

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 Paul. Although this is my first position within a care home I have worked in maintenance roles for over 20 years. Much of this time was in the leisure industry, maintaining swimming pools, steam rooms and spa pools, etc. I am a painter by trade, but I can turn my hand to most repairs and I have the ability to discover how different things work so that I can make them safe to use.

I’m also NEBOSH qualified and so I have a broad knowledge of health and safety regulations. I’ve lived in Yeovil for 3 years, having spent my whole life previously in Kent. I’ve been married for 31 years and I have 5 grown-up children and 6 grandchildren. In my spare time I love to cook and I enjoy gardening but I’m most often found doing DIY jobs around the home and garden, including building a conservatory. I also enjoy beach fishing when time allows (not often enough) and my favourite place to visit is Cornwall (again not often enough).

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.

Hi I’m Sarah. I have worked in care for 14 years, working my way up to Senior Carer before transitioning to Activities here at West Abbey, where I have been for five years, and in my role as Activities Coordinator for two. I like being able to make a difference to the residents with my laugh and smile. I have 4 children, I am a scout leader (which takes up most of my weekends!), and enjoy going on hikes and camps both with the scouts and with my family.

Hi I’m Matt. I have been an activities coordinator here for just over a year. I have worked within a care environment specialising in working with people with dementia. I love my job as I am able to make people smile on a daily basis, and try to make a difference. In my free time I enjoy reading, watching films and walking.

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!

Hi I’m, Juanita. I have been at West Abbey since 2018. I started off as a senior healthcare assistant and am now a care practitioner on our memory lane unit. Prior to working for Barchester I had worked in palliative care and also with young adults with learning difficulties but dementia has become my passion.

My role as a care practitioner allows me to support our nurses with the daily tasks of administering medication and wound care. I also act as a mentor to our new colleagues and hope that they too have the same passion for dementia. It’s great to be part of such an amazing team and a privilege to be a part of our residents lives. My hobbies include gardening and DIY.

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.