Take Care
Written by: Vierka Hiscock, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Empathy and positivity are at the heart of Care Horizons, which helps vulnerable adults live life to their fullest potential.
When two of Vierka Hiscock’s children were diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), she told them, “You’re not weird; you’ll have exciting, unusual lives. Other people would love to think the way you do. It’s a superpower.”
Hiscock carries this positive mindset into Care Horizons, the care-services company that she has been Managing Director of since 2017, providing bespoke assistance for people with learning difficulties and mental-health needs. “I tell my clients all the time not to worry, and let me worry about it,” she says.
Hiscock’s 33 highly trained staff work with private and local authority-funded clients across the Bristol and South Gloucestershire area. The company is expanding across the South West, with further plans to open a day centre. Attending clients in their homes, carers help adult clients of all ages overcome challenges with tasks from washing laundry to buying and cooking food and learning computer skills; or they go for a walk and chat when needed.
“We are very person-centred,” says Hiscock, “We provide one-to-one supervision, and team members often stay longer than scheduled to ensure client wellbeing. I stayed until 3 am in the hospital looking after one lady who was distressed due to the environment. I treat both staff and clients like our family.”
Hiscock involves her staff in making decisions, such as how best to move paper records online and what training modules to follow. “We also have ongoing feedback from clients and their families. If something’s not right, we change it.”
The company participated in the 2018 Parliamentary Review into social care and received the Healthcare Service of the Year award at the Bristol Prestige Awards 2020. Despite the recognition, Hiscock finds the greatest satisfaction closer to home, when clients and their families visit the team’s office for a cup of tea. “It’s a wonderful, positive atmosphere,” she says. “It’s never about what our clients lack; it’s about what they have and how we can help them use that to their advantage.”
“Everyone applauds when a client begins their more independent life; it’s amazing to be part of their journey and cheer them on. We believe there is more than black and white in the way we live our lives and we want to involve everyone to stop the prejudice.”
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Vierka Hiscock, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
When two of Vierka Hiscock’s children were diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), she told them, “You’re not weird; you’ll have exciting, unusual lives. Other people would love to think the way you do. It’s a superpower.” Hiscock carries this positive mindset into Care Horizons, the care-services company that she has been Managing Director of since 2017, providing bespoke assistance for people with learning difficulties and mental-health needs. “I tell my clients all the time not to worry, and let me worry about it,” she says.
