18 March 2020

An honest interview with Rianne, Hostess at Lakeview Care Home

We caught up with Rianne Bailey, Hostess at Lakeview Care Home in Lightwater to find out how her role makes a huge difference to the lives of residents and what makes her proud to work at our state-of-the-art home.

What does the role of Hostess entail?

I ensure that all residents and visitors are greeted in a polite, friendly and professional manner and looked after with refreshments in our home. I am also the hydration champion in the home and ensure that the residents are kept well hydrated whilst delivering high standards of hospitality services, delivering against hospitality service standards and dining experience expectations.

What skills does it take to be a hostess?

Ultimately you need to be the type of person who can engage easily with residents in conversation at a level and pace that values the individual and respects their dignity and communication differences. My previous job at a day nursery has also taught me how to make the dining experience more inclusive so I would say that is also a great skill to have.

What attracted you to the hostess role at Lakeview?

It’s not a role that I’ve tried before as previously I worked with children as an au pair and in nurseries and schools, but I liked how social that was and I wanted to develop that further and try working with a different age range to find out more about myself. I also liked the energy I brought to working with children and I wanted to bring that same positivity to older people.

What’s an average day look like for you?

For the majority of the day, I usually help out in the home’s café by making drinks for the residents and their visitors whilst ensuring sure that the area is clean and presentable.

Every afternoon between 3-4pm I also load up my hydration trolley and visit every resident in their bedroom to have a chat and offer them a choice of refreshments. The residents love the trolley as it’s a bright yellow colour so its easy to see for residents living with dementia and each day, I put different items on there from a big fresh fruit platter, to smoothies, jellies, purees and milkshakes to tempt the residents and keep them hydrated.

What has been the impact of your role, what benefits have you seen?

The residents’ health and well-being has significantly improved as my role helps to ensure people are hydrated and achieving their eight glasses of water a day. This reduces their risk of falls, UTI’s, and improves their digestion. Then there are also the social benefits, the residents enjoy having a daily conversation with me, they look forward to seeing what’s on the trolley that’s different. Some residents also prefer 1-2-1 activity to group activity, so my job ensures that those residents get to enjoy that social benefit of speaking to me should they not want to go to the activities.

What makes you proud to work at Lakeview?

Seeing the difference I make and the interactions I have with people and being part of that relationship-centred care. It’s also really nice getting to know the residents and their families and I have built up some great relationships within the home.

How do you spend your free time?

I go to the gym; my boyfriend is still at university so on the weekends I’m not working I like to go and visit him. I also still babysit for a previous family I have worked with, and I like to make Halloween and World Book Day costumes for them.

For further information about how Lakeview Care Home can support you or your loved one click here. Alternatively, click here to find your nearest Hallmark care home.