Care Assistant Jobs in Belfast: Meet Cheree

Meet Cheree, one of the amazing care staff at Unique Home Care NI

Cheree has been part of the Unique Home Care NI team for three and a half years, but her journey in care started long before that.

With around 20 years of care experience, Cheree has seen first-hand how much good care can mean to someone and their family. Before joining Unique, she worked in office admin during the day and did care calls in the evenings. Over time, she realised care was the work that felt most natural to her.

For Cheree, care is about patience, purpose and helping someone live their life as well as they can.

Finding her way into care

Before Cheree joined Unique, she was working Monday to Friday in admin while also taking on evening care calls.

It was a busy season of her life, but care gave her something her office job could not. It let her help people in a more personal, practical way. After going through personal circumstances that made her rethink what mattered most, Cheree found herself drawn more and more towards care. It became the career path that felt right to her, because it allowed her to be there for people in a way that was practical, personal and genuinely needed.

Cheree had also worked with Debbie before, through a previous care company, so she already knew the values Debbie held around care. Those values aligned closely with Cheree’s own. She wanted to be part of care that gave people time, treated clients as individuals and allowed trust to build naturally.

Helping others has always been part of who Cheree is. She grew up with the belief that if you can help someone, you should. That value has stayed with her throughout her life and still shapes the way she cares today.

Every day in care is different

One thing Cheree learned quickly in her career is that care is never the same from one day to the next.

As she says:

“Every day is a learning day.”

Every client has their own routine, personality and way of doing things, and their needs can change from day to day. Some days feel steady, while others need more patience, reassurance or flexibility.

For Cheree, that is what makes working in someone’s home so personal. You learn to notice the small changes, adapt to what the person needs, and meet them where they are that day.

For Cheree, one of the most important parts of care is companionship. After supporting the same client for around three years, they know each other well and have built a close bond. She understands his needs, his routines and the things he enjoys, especially getting out and about. In Cheree’s words, they have “been everywhere” together over the years. That relationship matters, because good care feels safer and more personal when it comes from someone who truly knows you.

Care Assistant jobs with time to care properly

One of the biggest reasons Cheree has stayed with Unique Home Care NI is the time she is given to care properly. She has worked in care long enough to know the difference that time makes. At Unique, minimum one-hour visits mean carers are not rushing in and out, they have time to notice how someone is, understand what they need that day and support them in a way that feels personal.

For Cheree, that matters to the client, but it also matters to the carer. It allows her to do the job in the way she believes it should be done.

She also values the support around her. Cheree describes Debbie as fair, approachable and someone staff can go to for advice. Although carers often work independently in people’s homes, Cheree feels there is always someone there when support is needed.

That combination of time, trust and backup from the team is what makes Unique feel different to her. For anyone considering a job in care, Cheree’s experience is a reminder that the right workplace matters. When carers feel supported, they can give better care.

A moment that showed the bond they have built

One moment that has stayed with Cheree happened on her wedding day, when the client she mainly supports surprised her by coming along to celebrate.

Seeing him there meant everything. After years of caring for him and spending so much time together, it was a reminder of how close their bond had become. Cheree says that when you care for someone over a long period of time, they really do become like family.

Having him there on one of the biggest days of her life showed just how much that relationship means, not only to her, but to him too. For Cheree, it was a moment that captured what care can become when it is built on time and genuine connection.

Cheree’s advice to future carers

When Cheree is asked what makes a good carer, her answer is simple: patience.

Skills can be learned, and confidence grows with time. But patience and a willingness to help are what matter most from the start.

Her advice to anyone thinking about care is

“Just take the leap. You will not regret it, especially if that leap is coming to Unique.”

At Unique Home Care NI, we are always interested in hearing from people who want to care properly and make a difference in someone’s day.

Explore our current careers at Unique Home Care NI.

If Cheree’s story sounds like the kind of care you want to be part of, join our team today.