In the lead up to the Anna Alderson Awards we’ll be announcing one nominee each weekday. The winners will be announced at
our end of year event. Today’s nominee is:
Jerry Atunga
PWD Senior
"Jerry started his career as a support worker within Rise in 2016 . Very quickly, Jerry became a valuable member of the team by showing a great commitment to ensuring clients can make their own decisions and live as independently as possible within the supported home.
Jerry always makes sure clients are well informed about their options and will spend time with them discussing and investigating opportunities. For example, when a client was refusing to go to the GP to have his monthly blood test, Jerry took the time to see what was going on for this client. He discussed the importance of having the blood test due to his medication and the consequences of this not happening. The client disclosed that he did not like the doctor’s surgery . The smell, the lighting, the noise, all contributed to his anxiety levels rising. Jerry gave the client the information that he could have the nurse come to his home to take the blood samples. This made the client feel confident as he was in his own environment . Until then, the client was not aware of this option. It has been working well for the client and he is now happy to have his monthly tests.
Jerry is a supportive and approachable member of the team and a key component of this is that he will always complete a full induction to the house and clients taking his time, sharing his knowledge, and mentoring the staff. He is also always available to support his work colleagues when they ask for advice, especially when dealing with a new challenge .Jerry will focus on the positives and looks at the bigger picture. He has built a strong rapport with his clients and his teammates by spending one on one time with them, asking them how they feel, how are they travelling, is there anything that he can do to support them, and just being in the moment, listening.
Jerry will often meet his workmates and clients for a casual coffee, which provides the perfect environment and window of opportunity to speak about how people are travelling in a casual and friendly environment. Jerry is a very calm, positive, and optimistic worker. He will always reflect on his day and ask how he could have done things differently. How could be have supported his team better? He has made an impact on the lives of others by being optimistic, promoting the importance of active support and engaging with client sot ensure that they are living the life that they want . The teamwork in a very challenging environment, where many others have not been able to continue. But due to Jerry’s support over the past year, the team have become more confident in the workplace, more cohesive and they know that they can ask for help at any time. Jerry has been, and is, a positive role model to his co-workers. He lives and works adhering to the Rise values: Respect, Integrity, Welcoming and Optimism."