Hythe care home resident returns to work in laundry room

A Hythe care home resident had ‘loads’ of fun when she made a return to work.

Ethna McCormack, aged 92, a resident at Care UK’s Carpathia Grange, on Southampton Road, used to work as a laundress – so when she made a wish to go back to work, the team offered her a one-of-a-kind job opportunity.

Ethna, grew up in Ireland attending her local school, before contracting scarlet fever and becoming deaf. After this, she attended a boarding school for deaf children in Dublin and once old enough, began teaching deaf children. She then was given the opportunity to move to Waterford and learn dress making, which led to her being employed by Sybil Connolly making haute couture clothing. 

After being wed in a dress of her own making in 1961, Ethna moved to London and while raising her young family, she began working in the laundry room of Hyleford Residential Care Home in Ilford. For over 30 years, until she retired in 2001, Ethna was responsible for repairing and labelling the resident’s clothing and would occasionally help with the home’s laundry too. 

After learning of her wish, the team at Carpathia Grange arranged for Ethna to be kitted out with a Care UK uniform and name badge, before she joined the team in the home’s laundrette for her first day back on the job.

After a brilliant first day, Ethna was made an honorary member of the team and has begun donning her uniform and joining the housekeeping team on a weekly basis. 

Ethna said: “I enjoyed meeting the team and seeing where they worked and what happened to my clothes. I especially enjoyed using the label machine and ironing on the names, in my day I had to sew these by hand.”

Ethna’s return to work was part of the home’s Wishing Tree Initiative, which encourages residents to put wishes forward, allowing them to reconnect with a past hobby or try something completely new – from flying a plane to enjoying a fish and chip supper, no wish is too big or small.

Pooja Dhoot, Home Manager at Carpathia Grange, added: “Ethna loves to talk about her time working in the laundrette at another care home, so it was wonderful to be able to surprise her with a uniform and day with our team. 

“Our Wishing Tree initiative is a wonderful way for residents to share their passions and ambitions and it’s hugely rewarding to be able to make these a reality. Ethna had a wonderful time with the team chatting about how things have changed, reminiscing about her career and picking back up where she left off. 

“I’d like to extend a massive thank you to the housekeeping team here at Carpathia Grange who helped make this possible – Ethna hasn’t stopped smiling since her first day back at work and has become a regular face in the laundry room.”

Carpathia Grange is a three-storey care home which provides residential, dementia and nursing care. The home features 62 en-suite bedrooms and has been designed to enable its residents to live active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence. The care home incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities and includes its own cinema, hair salon and café.