Our Staff at Mackenzie Companions in Inverness offering Dementia specialist support

Our Staff

Our staff have been personally selected by us not only on the basis of their experience and ability to deliver a high quality service but on their commitment to our values and ethos. When we are recruiting we ask ourselves;

Would we want this person in our relatives home, offering companionship to someone who is very important to us?

Can this person work in a kindly and respectful manner at the pace set by the client ? Will this person be able to empathise with a client and give the level of attention to detail in their work necessary to promote a client’s wellbeing?

We interview all prospective staff, take up references and insist on background checks through Disclosure Scotland. All staff must successfully complete a probationary period.

Anne

Anne is an Occupational Therapist with experience in a variety of clinical settings. She has worked both in the third sector and in the NHS. She has a particular interest in dementia having worked in the NHS with this patient group.

Her interests and activities include being a trained Over 60’s exercise leader, a volunteer for “Spokes for Folks Inverness”, a local charity group providing bike rides for the elderly, and she is a member of a contemporary dance group.

Louise

Louise originally trained as a paralegal before moving into health and social care services, where she has worked for the past 20 years. She has experience of supporting individuals from a range of backgrounds to maintain their independence.

Outside of work Louise enjoys spending time walking with her spaniels, Poppy, Bonnie, Treacle and Toffee, DIY and adding to her shoe collection.

Moira

Moira has recently retired after working for over 30 years in the Civil Service. She has experience of assisting clients from a range of different backgrounds and has been a MacKenzie Companion since 2018.

Moira is a keen hill walker, cyclist and wild swimmer and very much enjoys supporting and encouraging clients to enjoy time outdoors.

Anne

Anne has 40 years of experience of working in health and social care services, in both the public and private sectors. She has held both operational and management roles, including a period managing residential retirement homes.

Anne has worked with a wide range of clients and particularly enjoys working with older people. In her free time she enjoys baking, carpet bowls, tap dancing, and working in her garden.

Sheona

Sheona has over 35 years’ experience in the Education sector; a mixture of Primary school teaching, additional support needs for the sight-impaired and management. Until recently she was the main carer for her elderly mother who had a diagnosis of dementia. Now semi-retired, Sheona has decided she would like to build on her experience, working with the elderly as a MacKenzie Companion.

Sheona enjoys all things literary; reading, writing, poetry and puzzles. She loves dance, Yoga and swimming and would like to improve at playing the piano.

Bernie

Bernie has recently moved to Inverness from the South of England having spent most of her life there. She previously worked in Health and Social Care looking after older people. Bernie has experience of working within a dementia community in a residential setting and especially enjoys working with clients with a diagnosis of dementia.

Now semi-retired Bernie has decided to continue working with older people as a MacKenzie Companion, supporting and enabling clients to maintain their interests and enjoy life. Bernie has recently taken up cycling again after 40 years and has been out and about getting to know Inverness, discovering new places to cycle, and exploring the Highlands.

Florica

Florica is a qualified social worker and has worked in the Health and Social Care Sectors and in education. She has experience of working with individuals from a range of backgrounds and for a number of years, cared for and supported her own elderly relatives.

In her spare time Florica enjoys walking, gardening and sowing.

Staff Training

We meet regularly as a team to train together and provide additional training to staff on a one to one basis as required. This enables us to ensure that we are providing a consistently high level of service that meets both the needs of our clients and is in line with the standards and values set by the business.

We have developed our own training materials which form the basis for the training which all new staff must successfully undertake prior to starting work with clients.

All new staff shadow an experienced member of staff for a minimum period of two weeks as part of their induction training and work alongside an experienced member of staff for the first month of their employment.

We hold team meetings on a 4-6 weekly basis. We also distribute a two weekly email update on the activities of the business which all staff contribute to. Regular supervision is provided for all staff.

All of our staff have been trained to Dementia Informed Practice Level in accordance with the Promoting Excellence Framework that supports Scotland’s Dementia Strategy and some of our staff have attained the Skilled and Expertise in Dementia Practice Levels.

As a company we are committed to continuously improving our services and keep up to date with new developments in approaches to working with older adults. We seek to encourage a culture of lifelong learning and our staff are encouraged and supported to seek additional training opportunities as appropriate to the business.