Local lady, Jennie Kemp, who works as a caregiver at a local home care company, Home Instead Senior Care Dartford, came to the rescue of an elderly lady in a coffee shop by using her first aid knowledge gained through her career in care.
Jennie, who is 29 and from Dartford, began working as a caregiver for Home Instead three months ago. The company puts all its caregivers through various aspects of specialised training, from first aid to more in depth dementia training.
Whilst visiting local café, Bella Valenzia, in Dartford, Jennie was seated at the back of the café with her family when she saw numerous people looking at a lady who was sat unconscious at her table. The lady’s friend looked distressed and confused, so Jennie rushed to help them, using her first aid knowledge to position the unconscious lady safely and spoke to the emergency services, sitting with her until she came around.
Once the lady had regained consciousness, Jennie kept her speaking and comforted her while they waited for the ambulance to arrive. Whilst keeping her speaking, Jennie learned that the lady had been having a particularly tough time recently, and so she offered words of comfort and reassurance.
Jennie commented: “As soon as I saw the lady sitting unconscious, my caring instincts kicked in and I knew immediately that I had to help, so I rushed over to her. Her friend and the lady herself were so grateful that I was able to talk to the emergency services and administer first aid, and I felt happy to be able to help them at such a scary time.
“I knew that I could help as I’ve been given many specialist training opportunities in my role as a caregiver at Home Instead, and I felt confident in my abilities. Training such as first aid and dementia care are useful in real life situations, such as with the lady in the café, and are truly invaluable to the lives of caregivers, their clients and people around them.”
Christina Uppenkamp, co-owner of Home Instead Dartford, commented: “Its so lovely to see that our caregivers are able to use their skills to help everyday people out in the community. Seeing that our training provides transferable skills that help our caregivers care for a wide range of people really gives us a sense of pride that what we do really makes a difference. Well done to Jennie!”
To find out more about Home Instead and the services they offer, ranging from home help and companionship, to specialist dementia and respite care, please call 01322 923750 or visit www.homeinstead.co.uk/dartford
