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For Don and his carer it is all about the laughter

Patrick O'HaganBerkshire political reporter , Wokingham
News imageBBC 91-year-old Don Way and his carer Jamaica Bell are exchanging a knowing glance after Don teased her for forgetting to put a sweetener in his coffee. Don's wearing a smart blue V-Neck jumper with stripes on it over a checked shirt. Sitting to his left is Jamaica. Also wearing glasses, her long hair falls over the shoulders of the black and white cardigan she's wearing over a white shirt. BBC
Don Way and his carer Jamaica Bell shared a knowing glance after he teased her for forgetting how he takes his coffee

For 91-year-old Don Way and his carer Jamaica Bell, teasing each other is part of their everyday routine.

Way lives in a private retirement home for the over-55s in Wokingham, Berkshire, with Bell visiting him several times a day.

For Way, it is a chance to practice his not inconsiderable charm, telling Bell "you forgot to put sweetener in my coffee Jamaica. Not for the first time!".

Bell says it is more than just a job and their affection for each other is clear to see.

It is a scenario that will become more familiar in future years with the Office for National Statistics saying there were more than 625,000 over 90s living in the UK in 2025 compared to 407,000 in 2004.

News imageDon Way holds a cup off coffee in his right hand while sitting on his cream coloured sofa. The cup has a picture of a red squirrel on it
Don Way says that while not everyone clicks with their carers he is one of the lucky ones

Way lives alone in his retirement flat. He gets himself out of bed every morning before Bell arrives to make his breakfast, the first of three daily visits from her, or when she is away a fellow carer.

He says it is a routine he enjoys: "I have the same breakfast every morning.

"Incredibly boring but there we go, and she makes sure I'm still alive. You just need someone to talk to. It doesn't matter what they talk about."

Bell agrees: "Don's very stubborn but we have a good relationship.

"You want to get along with and trust the person that's coming in to help you with the key aspects of your day-to-day life.

"You don't want to have someone you don't have a relationship with, that you don't get along with."

News imageJamaica is standing in Don's kitchen with a head height brown wall cupboard over her left shoulder. Smiling broadly she's wearing a black and white cardigan over a white shirt. A gold pendant with the letter 'J' on it sits round her neck.
Jamaica Bell says that while a career in social care isn't for everyone she has never considered doing anything else

Bell works for Apex Healthcare Services and says she was inspired to move into the industry after watching her mother doing similar jobs when she was younger.

Finding enough people to do the work is not easy though as Apex's operations manager Iona Tsonkov knows all too well: "It can be quite challenging to find the right people.

"Doing care, you need to do it from the heart. If you don't have it inside your heart, go and do something else instead."

News imageIona Tsonkov on the left of the picture and Serona Constance who's on the right are standing closely together in the garden of Don Way's retirement complex. Bathed in sunlight they're both smiling at the camera.
Iona Tsonkov and Serona Constance say matching the right care worker to the right client is essential

Her colleague, the healthcare company's clinical lead Serona Constance says cliched images of what care workers actually do does not help: "People just see care sometimes and think 'it's just wiping up bottoms and making up tea and stuff'. We really do make an impact on people.

"We do much more than just wiping bums and making cups of tea."

Way couldn't agree more. He says his chats with Bell make his day, even if she does get his coffee order wrong from time-to-time.

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