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Louise’s inspiring journey from professional dancer to Therapy Lead

In her early career, Louise was a professional dancer. But one day an injury completely reshaped her job prospects. Faced with the hard decision of retiring from dancing, it was time for Louise to embark on a new journey.

During the same time, one of her family members suffered a severe stroke. While looking after them, Louise discovered a passion for caring for others, which paved the way for her future career in the care sector!

Discovering new passions

Louise began her care career as a Support Worker, working hard to develop her skills and knowledge before progressing into varying roles throughout the sector.

Throughout her career in care, Louise has worked in Domiciliary Care and mental health – gaining lots of experience in Dementia. Her passion for caring for others has helped her climb the ladder, achieving a Senior Support Worker role at the age of 22… and developing even further to become Care Manager!

During her career journey she explored mental health, working as a Team Leader for an inpatient unit. Helping people with their mental health difficulties motivated Louise, and seeing people succeed with support inspired her to continue progressing her career.

Joining the Voyage Care family

Louise’s life then entered a new chapter – she fell pregnant with a little boy! Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she took a longer break from care than she originally planned.

When Louise returned to work, she was looking for a better work-life balance – with longer shifts becoming more difficult to manage. As if by chance, she spotted an online vacancy at Voyage Care that caught her eye!

Louise was attracted to Voyage Care’s culture and values, plus the flexibility of the role suited her needs. She felt she could have a future at Voyage Care and applied immediately!

Joining us initially as a Support Worker at one of our brain injury services in 2022, Louise proved to be a social care superhero! Dedicated to providing high-quality care for the people we support, Louise knew she was making a real difference to the lives of people with learning disabilities and other complex needs.

Becoming a Therapy Lead

During her time as a Support Worker, Louise loved seeing people progress along their rehab journeys. She felt she could offer more to people’s lives and showed interest in a Therapy Lead role at our brain injury rehabilitation service Marner House.

After seeing the role advertised for some time, Louise finally took the plunge to apply and successfully got the job!

As a designated Therapy Lead, Louise sits in on therapy sessions and accompanies the people we support out into the community. She consistently looks for new opportunities outside the home to promote their wellbeing and support their mental health – something Louise is still passionate about!

Fascinated by how the brain works, working in a brain injury rehabilitation service really excites Louise. Her previous experience supporting people with Bipolar and Dementia helps her understand some of the difficulties the people we support face. By providing specialist support, Louise is making a difference in the lives of brain injury survivors – supporting them to live as independently as possible.

One of the most rewarding things for Louise is seeing the people we support regaining their independence. It can be easy for them to feel like their progress is small… but Louise is there to remind them how valuable every step in their journey is!

Louise loves her role and helping others really does fuel her passion.

Louise Reader quote

Unrivalled training and support

Key to Louise’s success has been the training and support she’s received since joining Voyage Care. Continually enhancing her knowledge, she’s been given the opportunity to complete several therapy courses, including – Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech and Language Therapy and Physiotherapy.

Louise is excited to continue her learning – she’ll soon be starting a Level 4 Lead Practitioner Diploma in Adult Social Care. This showcases our commitment to supporting our teams to develop and grow their skills in an environment where they can flourish!