insideKENT Magazine Issue 77 - August 2018 | Page 165

CHARITY BLUEBIRD CARE TONBRIDGE AND TUNBRIDGE WELLS EMPLOYEE WINS LIVE-IN CARE ASSISTANT AWARD Live-in care assistant, Bozenna Zalewska says people employed in home care shouldn't be afraid to give their heart, which is how she changed the life of a woman she cared for. Born in Poland, Ms. Zalewska lived in Greece for 34 years before arriving in the UK a year ago. With 10 years’ experience working as a live-in care assistant in Athens, she started working for Bluebird Care Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells and moved into the house of 77-year-old Joan. DEMELZA’S BUBBLE RUSH IS BACK! Local Sittingbourne-based charity, Demelza Hospice Care for Children, which has been providing care in the county for 20 years, is bringing its fantastic Bubble Rush back to Kent on Sunday 12th August but at a new venue – Mote Park in Maidstone. ‘Bubblers’ of all ages will be making their way through 4ft (1.2m) walls of coloured foam along the 5K route (twice around a 2.5k course), all in support of Demelza. The family friendly fun run is open to everyone, there are no age limits and the course is pushchair and wheelchair accessible. Places cost £20 for adults and £10 for children aged 15 and under, with under 3s going free. New for 2018 is the family ticket (two adults and up to three children) costing £60. Bubblers will receive a Bubble Rush T-shirt, a commemorative medal and a goody bag. To sign up please visit www.demelza.org.uk/bubble-rush. Suffering from swollen legs after a fall on a cruise holiday last year, Joan was taken to a German hospital. She was then transferred to a nunnery before being sent on to a care home and eventually returned to the UK. Living 24/7 in Joan's home, Ms. Zalewska liaised with doctors and applied an ointment to Joan’s legs, which quickly healed them and within two and a half weeks Joan was a lot happier. Her efforts led to her receiving a live-in care assistant award from Bluebird Care Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells. Bozenna's live-in care manager, Liz Wilson, said: “She has truly improved the life of her customer both physically and mentally. Her customer has made a tremendous improvement in just six months and it is a delight to see the positive difference that Bozenna has made. This change has been through persistence and patience. It is a really great demonstration of the difference live in care can make.” ON YER BIKE! FUNDRAISING PLACES AVAILABLE IN THE LONDON TO BRIGHTON BIKE RIDE FOR THE DISABILITIES TRUST The Disabilities Trust is a leading national charity providing innovative care, rehabilitation and support solutions for people with profound physical impairments, acquired brain injury and learning disabilities as well as children and adults with autism, and they’re giving you the chance to dust off your lycra, put on a helmet and take to the road in a 54-mile challenge from London to Brighton in aid of The Disabilities Trust. You can raise funds for people with acquired brain injury, complex physical or learning disabilities and adults and children with autism by riding down to Sussex’s picturesque villages and the beautiful South Downs on September 16th 2018. You can join as a team or individually and the trust is offering a free lunch, mechanical support and finishers’ mementos – so, what are you waiting for? Get on your bike and fill in a registration form now at www.thedtgroup.org/get- involved/fundraising-events/london-to- brighton-bike-ride, call 01444 237286, or email [email protected]. 165