Meet Pam – Dementia Day Centre Manager
We sat down with our lovely ‘Days at the Haven’ manager, Pamela Harvey, to discuss her role within the Dementia Day Centre run by Age Concern Southend. Find out more about how she loves working with our clients and playing bingo…
How long have you worked at ACSOS and what do you like the most about your role?
I have worked for ACSOS for 6 years. I started as a volunteer Telephone Befriender and then got asked if I wanted a job! I became a permanent Befriending Coordinator, then I applied for Office Manager and then when the Day Centre opened they asked me if I would become the Manager of it because I have 35 years experience in care. I agreed, as long as I had free reign to make it how I wanted it to be.
My Social Service care experience includes, home care, children at risk and adults with learning disabilities.
I love my job and especially the great team I work with. We all have so much fun laughing with the clients all day!
Why should people use Days at the Haven? What makes this Day Centre unique?
I have a passion for care having worked in the sector and being an unpaid carer. I have seen some other day care centres and they weren’t very interactive. I believe that our clients here should be having fun and we therefore go the extra mile to find out their interests are and create a tailored programme to suit them. We play lots of games, sing, use cutting edge technology like VR headsets and do plenty of craft!
We have a large staff to client ration so even those that can’t participate fully are able to enjoy things at their own pace.
What is your favourite activity in the Day Centre?
Oh that’s a hard one! I enjoy all of it. My favourite is spending quality one-to-one time working on their life books. We talk about their past and their memories and families. They bring in photos and we are creating a book that they can share with their loved ones. Often their families are surprised about the new information we have discovered.
I do hate playing bingo but all our clients absolutely love it! I limit it to two games a day!
Where or what is your favourite place in Southend?
My house. It contains my husband, my cat, my hobbies and plenty of wine!
When you aren’t working, what things can we find you up to?
Knitting, reading, embroidery, diamond painting. I love going for seafront walks.
Tell us a fact about you that we might not know?
I am married to a magician.
