Acts of kindness are the norm for Right at Home

To celebrate Random Acts of Kindness Day on Wednesday 17 February, Right at Home GF shares two of the kind acts carried out by its CareGivers to enrich their clients’ lives.

Through its initiative, Mini Moves to Magic Moments, Right at Home GF encourages and actively supports CareGivers to look for extra ways to bring enjoyment, fun or fulfilment to their clients’ lives. That means acts of kindness are a regular occurrence at Right at Home.

CareGiver Victoria arranged for a four-footed friend to visit her client, who is severely disabled, prompting smiles and even a slight giggle at the joy of meeting a new furry companion. “I heard from a member of my client’s family that on a previous trip out my client had shown interest in dogs passing by on their walks. Her eyes lit up every time one walked by,” explains Victoria. Trips out are now more difficult so, with support from the family, Victoria arranged to bring her friend’s dog, Padfoot, on her next visit.

With Padfoot carefully placed on her lap, Victoria’s client responded to the sensations of feeling his fur and Padfoot licking her fingers. “It was a wonderful visit – not just for my client but for her family and for me as her CareGiver. Seeing your clients smile and enjoy life is what it’s all about. I hope to bring Padfoot again in the future,” says Victoria.

For Toni’s client, her special moment was moving in an altogether different way. Her client had mentioned that her late husband’s birthday was coming up and that in past years she had taken flowers to his grave. Illness meant that she could no longer drive and, this year, her family members were unable to take her.

Toni sensed this was a way she could enhance the quality of her client’s life and offered to take her and help her to the graveside. Liaising with the family who purchased flowers, Toni put the necessary permissions in place. On the day, she drove her client to the cemetery and assisted her to the graveside before giving her some time alone. Toni tidied the grave and arranged the flowers. Her client was able to visit her mother’s grave at the same time and even chat to an old acquaintance also visiting the cemetery.

“I felt honoured to share the experience with my client and to enable her to do something that many of us would take for granted but that means so much to her,” says Toni.

“Our CareGivers’ acts of kindness are rarely random, which is all the more reason why we love celebrating them,” says Alastair Shanks, the Managing Director of Right at Home GF. “These moments are so important to clients, which makes them an important part of the wider care we provide. One of the messages from the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation, which is behind the awareness raising day, is to make kindness the norm, and that’s what we try to do.”

Random Acts of Kindness Day is the creation of the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation which encourages more kindness and promotes the positive effects of acting kindly and even witnessing acts of kindness. Find out more and share your acts of kindness at the foundation’s website and, if you would like a role where kindness is actively encouraged and supported, please check out Right at Home GF’s latest recruitment opportunities.