Caremark Thanet Attend the Launch of the Age-Friendly Business Directory

The Age-Friendly Business Directory

Today we attended the launch of Ageless Thanet's Age-Friendly Business Directory. At Caremark Thanet we are very pleased to be support the the business directory venture. We think it is a fantastic idea to have a paper version of the directory of age-friendly businesses.

The Launch Event

If you are not familiar with the work of Ageless Thanet, it is well worth looking at what they can offer. Today's launch was held in the wonderful Northdown House in Margate. A number of other local businesses were also present at the launch.

The event was very well attended by the public. We got the opportunity to talk with a number of people, some of whom we were able to advise about choosing home care and others about working in home care, including about some of the opportunities available with us.

One of the great things about Thanet is the number of community organisations that exist. We are a heavily community engaged company and it is always a pleasure to meet up with our community partner groups.

If you get a chance to read the Age-Friendly Business Directory, you will certainly be very pleased with it. Well done to all concerned with the directory's production: a fantastic initiative.

Garry Costain is the Managing Director of Caremark Thanet, a domiciliary care provider with offices in Margate, Kent. Caremark Thanet provides home care services throughout the Isle of Thanet. Garry can be contacted on 01843 235910 or emailgarry.costain@caremark.co.uk. You can also visit Caremark Thanet's website atwww.caremark.co.uk/thanet.

Caremark Thanet's Care Advice Morning

Caremark Thanet at The Feel Good Factory

One of the great things about living and working in Thanet is that there are so many community organisations. For a community engaged home care provider like Caremark Thanet working with these various groups sits very easily with our ethos. The Feel Good Factory in Margate High Street is one of those organisations.


We were lucky today to go along to The Feel Good Factory - where we were made very welcome - to offer advice about all matters relating to domiciliary care. We met with a number of people who were interested in working in domiciliary care. We were able to explain what working in care is all about and what opportunities are available with Caremark Thanet.

Three of the people we spoke with decided to fill in application forms there and then. We have arranged interviews for these people that will take place in the next few days.


We employ care and support workers from the age of 18 upwards. We know, however, that there are quite a few people in Thanet over the age of 50 who, for one reason or another, are looking to return to work. This was one of our primary aims in visiting the Feel Good Factory today.


So successful was our visit that we will be making regular visits to the Feel Good Factory. We will keep you posted about future visits.

Garry Costain is the Managing Director of Caremark Thanet, a domiciliary care provider with offices in Margate, Kent. Caremark Thanet provides home care services throughout the Isle of Thanet. Garry can be contacted on 01843 235910 or emailgarry.costain@caremark.co.uk. You can also visit Caremark Thanet's website at www.caremark.co.uk/thanet.

Care Advice from Caremark Thanet at The Feel Good Factory

Finding Information about domiciliary Care Is Complex

The world of domiciliary care is a complex one. Trying to find information can sometimes be a very frustrating experience. Sometimes, you just want someone who can point you in the right direction. And that is what we can do at the Feel Good Factory in Margate on Tuesday 10 April 2018.

Care and Support Worker in front of Caremark logo

Located in the High Street, Margate,The Feel Good Factory offers workouts on power assisted equipment designed to maximise the benefits and minimise the work. We won't be using the equipment next Tuesday, but we will be there to offer advice on all things related to health and social care.

At Caremark Thanet we have been providing home care to the residents of Thanet for over five years and we know that the world of care is a very complicated one. What we aim to do on Tuesday 10 April is to offer advice to people who might be considering looking for care. We can advise on such issues as funding, social services assessments, your right to choose your home care provider and how to go about finding a home care provider. We'll be starting at 10.00 in the morning. If you do have any questions just come along. No appointment is necessary.

Perhaps You Want to Work in Home Care...

...if so, why not come along and hear about the opportunities that we have. There is no age limit on working in domiciliary care. We take on people from aged 18 upwards. On Tuesday 10 April, however, we are particularly keen to talk with people who might be looking at second careers.

If you are looking to get back into work, we have opportunitiesfor you to come and work for us as a care and support worker. You do not need experience; you do need to be caring, reliable, flexible and hardworking.

To sum up, then, on Tuesday 10 April, starting at 10.00 am, Caremark Thanet will be at the Feel Good Factory in Margate to offer advice to people who have questions about care or working in care.

We look forward to seeing you.

Garry Costain is the Managing Director of Caremark Thanet, a domiciliary care provider with offices in Margate, Kent. Caremark Thanet provides home care services throughout the Isle of Thanet. Garry can be contacted on 01843 235910 or emailgarry.costain@caremark.co.uk. You can also visit Caremark Thanet's website atwww.caremark.co.uk/thanet.

Coffee Morning Fun

Thanks to All Who Came to Our Coffee Morning

We had a fantastic turnout at our coffee morning yesterday, Monday 6 November, at Smith's Court Hotel. We'd like to thank everyone who came along and made it such a special event. We sponsored the event as part of Ageless Thanet's Business Week. We were particularly interested in meeting people who might be looking to return to work, perhaps after being made redundant.

Do You Want to Return to Work?

We spoke with about 10 people who might be interested to come and work for us and we have already interviewed 2 of them. We always have vacancies for good, reliable people who want to work in care. We take people from the age of 18 upwards; however, yesterday's event was specifically focusing on people with maturity on their side.

We are very aware that there are large numbers of people who have had successful working lives and now, for various reasons, are looking to return to the working world. We believe passionately that it is never too late to work in care. Mature workers often have valuable qualities that they can offer. We don't look for experience: we do look for caring natures, reliability and flexibility. Incidentally, if you do have experience; it is never wasted.

Thank You Ageless Thanet

We'd like to say a big thank you to Ageless Thanet for joining us at our coffee morning and for their business week venture. We are proud to be an age-friendly business and look forward to working with Ageless Thanet on other initiatives

PS. If you were unable to join us at our coffee morning and are interested in the opportunities that we have, please do not hesitate to contact us.

PPS. It's our birthday and we are having a party, tomorrow, Wednesday 8 November, at the Yarrow Hotel, in Broadstairs. If you're passing, why not drop in for a cup of tea and a slice of cake and wish us happy birthday. 

Garry Costain is the Managing Director of Caremark Thanet, a domiciliary care provider with offices in Margate, Kent. Caremark Thanet provides home care services throughout the Isle of Thanet. Garry can be contacted on 01843 235910 or email garry.costain@caremark.co.uk. You can also visit Caremark Thanet's website at www.caremark.co.uk/thanet.

Caremark Thanet's Coffee Morning: Get Back into Work

Would You Like to Work in Domiciliary Care?

Have you finished work but feel you are not ready to retire completely? Like many people who retire, you may still be very active and would like to do some work again. If so, have you thought about working in domiciliary care?

What Is Domiciliary Care?

Domiciliary care, or home care, is care provided in people's homes. It is an immeasurably important service delivered to some of the most frail and vulnerable members of our society. With a little help from home care providers like us, these important members of our society maintain their independence and remain living in the homes they love. It is difficult to over-exaggerate just how important this service is. Many of our customers have lived in their home for decades so it's little wonder that they choose to stay there.

What Makes a Good Care and Support Worker?

The one thing we do not look for is experience. The most important qualities we seek cannot be taught. It is our considered view that people who have the advantage of years on their side often make very good carers. The quality of patience and the ability to empathise with others - key to successful care work - are usually highly developed in people of maturity. 

It pretty much goes without saying that you have to be caring. It is not, however, a given that people who work in care are always caring. You need only look at some of the horrendous abuse cases that have happened in the last few years to be disturbingly reminded of this.

Perhaps the single most important quality for any care and support worker to possess is reliability. When you work in care, many people rely upon you. Your customers rely upon you; their families rely upon you; your colleagues rely upon you, and often other health professionals rely upon you.

You will have to be absolutely comfortable delivering personal care. We provide a wide range of services to our customers including preparing meals, shopping, medication support and domestic help. Rarely are people uncomfortable with these activities. However, personal care - the service that we most commonly provide - is something that some people are a little awkward with. You MUST be completely comfortable, competent and confident in delivering personal care. The people you are caring for are already placed in a position where their dignity is threatened. Your discomfort will only exacerbate matters.

What Should You Do Next?

If you are interested in what you have read and would like to find out more, why not come along to our coffee morning. it is being held at on Monday 6 November 2017 at Smith's Court Hotel - Eastern Esplanade, Cliftonville, CT9 2HL,  between 10.00 am - 12.00. 

The world of domiciliary care is changing, and working for Caremark Thanet over the next few years is going to open up enormous opportunities for you. Finding out more by attending our coffee morning may be one of the best things you do.

If you want to book a place contact Jemma Clayton on 01843 235910, or email Jemma at jemma.clayton@caremark.co.uk.

We are aiming the event at people who are retired; however, we have vacancies for care and support workers from the age of 18 upwards. So if you know someone who hasn't quite reached retirement age, bring them along with you. You and they will be very welcome, indeed.

Garry Costain is the Managing Director of Caremark Thanet, a domiciliary care provider with offices in Margate, Kent. Caremark Thanet provides home care services throughout the Isle of Thanet. Garry can be contacted on 01843 235910 or email garry.costain@caremark.co.uk. You can also visit Caremark Thanet's website at www.caremark.co.uk/thanet.

Are You Retired and Looking to Return to Work?

Introduction
We are a domiciliary care company (Caremark Thanet) providing care to the residents of Thanet in their homes. We have been doing this highly successfully for almost five years. If you are retired and looking to return to work, we have opportunities for you to come and work for us as a care and support worker. You do not need experience; you do need to be caring, reliable, flexible and hardworking.

If you think this is an opportunity that might interest you, read on. If, after reading this article, you find that you are still interested in working in home care, then we should like to invite you to our coffee morning on Monday 6th November 2017 at Smith's Court Hotel, between 10.00 am - 12.00 noon. We will be able to answer all your questions at this event. In the meantime, what follows is a little bit about domiciliary care, a bit about us and a little about how we view working in domiciliary care.

Domiciliary Care
We are a home care company, which means that we go out to care for people in their homes. Working in care is very demanding but very rewarding. Our customers are amongst some of Thanet's most frail and vulnerable residents. When you work for us your, customers will depend upon you. They come to rely upon you. And it is not just customers who rely upon you; your colleagues rely upon you - as you will rely upon them; the families of your customers rely upon you, and often other health professionals rely upon you. This is a heavy responsibility, indeed. We know from experience; however, that people with a little maturity on their side are eminently suitable for shouldering this burden.

By far the most common service we provide to our customers is personal care. You have to be completely comfortable with this if you are going to become one of our care and support workers. You have to be comfortable with it because it is a service that all our carers are required to carry out. And you have to be comfortable with it because if you are not; your discomfort will be transmitted to your customer. You are already carrying out a task that, by its very nature, threatens your customer's dignity: your discomfort will simply exacerbate things.

A Little about Us
We have a very simple, yet profoundly important business ethos. We believe that our customers are the most important people for our business; that our care and support workers are the most important people in our business; that a socially responsible business is most important for all of us. We have an equally simple yet important vision: To be Thanet’s first choice private domiciliary care provider for customers and carers. You can find out more about our ethos, vision and values in this article.

Our View of Working in Domiciliary Care
We have extra-ordinary high expectations. We believe passionately that working in care is a career. When you work for us, you are never "just a carer".  Caring is not just a job; it is a vocation; caring is not the the last resort for the aimless; it should be the first choice for the ambitious; it is not a job without prospects; it is a position with opportunities; a chance to develop, not a place to rest.

Of course, we can only offer opportunities. It is down to individuals to seize them. Opportunities are not for everyone.

If you have liked what you have read, why not come along on Monday 6th November 2017. Just a reminder it is being held at Smith's Court Hotel - Eastern Esplanade, Cliftonville, CT9 2HL - between 10.00 am - 12.00. We'd love to see you there, and who knows where it might lead you.

Garry Costain is the Managing Director of Caremark Thanet, a domiciliary care provider with offices in Margate, Kent. Caremark Thanet provides home care services throughout the Isle of Thanet. Garry can be contacted on 01843 235910 or email garry.costain@caremark.co.uk. You can also visit Caremark Thanet's website at www.caremark.co.uk/thanet.

Caremark Thanet Will Be at The Ageless Thanet 50+ Festival

Caremark Thanet will be at the Ageless Thanet 50+ Festival on Sunday 3 September 2017. The event is being held at St George’s School in Broadstairs – CT10 2LH for those using a satnav. Admission is free and the event is open from 10.00-16.00.

Caremark Thanet is proud to be an age-friendly business and very pleased to be involved with the 50+ festival. We will be there to offer advice about our care services and advice about domiciliary care in general. However, there will be quite a bit more at the festival for you to see and do.

There will be the chance to take part in various taster sessions during the day. For example, how about giving Tai Chi a go. Believe it or not, Tai Chi developed as a martial art in China. Today, however, it is practised more for its health promoting posibilities. You’ve probably seen people practising Tai Chi and noticed their elegantly smooth movements. Tai Chi also helps develop deep breathing and relaxation. There is evidence to suggest that practitioners lower their stress levels, improve mobility, gain muscle strength and improve their posture.

If not Tai Chi, why not belly dancing, or woodwork, or pottery or boccia? Boccia…

“… is a game of strategy and accuracy that was originally designed to be played by people with cerebral palsy. Now, the sport includes athletes with impairments that affect motor skills.

The sport is played on a flat, smooth surface, where players must throw or roll coloured balls as close as possible to a white target ball, known as the “jack.” The player, pair or team with the most balls near the jack is the winner.”

Of course, no festival worthy of its name would be complete without somewhere to eat and drink. This year there will be a food court where hot and cold refreshments will be avaialable.

There will, of course, be much more than what has been described above. If you come along, drop by our stand and say hello. We’ll be delighted to see you.

Garry Costain is the Managing Director of Caremark Thanet, a domiciliary care provider with offices in Margate, Kent. Caremark Thanet provides home care services throughout the Isle of Thanet. Garry can be contacted on 01843 235910 or email garry.costain@caremark.co.uk. You can also visit Caremark Thanet's website at www.caremark.co.uk/thanet.