In my time working at Abbey House there has been no one event that I can point to and say “that was my greatest interaction”. I’m always striving to have Great Interactions and as a staff team we like to acknowledge with one another when we witness a Great Interaction. I feel proud that I have so many moments that come to mind when someone has said ‘Great Interaction’ to me.
What I love about my job is making the little moments great, whether it be using my hands as sensory items that Chippy can hold and play with or making good eye contact with Debbie resulting in a glorious smile. The essence of my job is to make as many moments a Great Interaction as possible and that is why my job is so special: at every opportunity I have a chance to make the lives of the people I work with just a little better by doing the simple things well - talking to people in a way they understand, using hand gestures and signs to back up my speech, or even just getting to eye level with someone and sharing smiles.
My point is that it is amazing to have a Great Interaction, but perhaps even more amazing is that each and every interaction has the possibility of being truly Great!
Tim Painting
Support Worker, Abbey House