A CARE home manager who is said to go “above and beyond the call of duty to improve people’s lives” is in the running for a national award.

Lynda Wenner has been in charge of the specialised Ty Machen residential home in Machen, near Caerphilly, for the past five years and prides herself on the family atmosphere in the home.

Mrs Wenner, who is shortlisted in the Promoting Fulfilled Lives category sponsored by Boots in the 2016 Wales Care Awards on October 21, had started a learning disability degree course at a college near her home when she realised that she was expecting her first child and had to put her plans on hold.

After raising a family she started a career in residential care 26 years ago and has since worked for a number of organisations in that field.

She was previously a deputy manager of a centre for learning disabilities in Cwmbran, and was later promoted to its service manager and spent seven years in the role.

In 2011 she was appointed to her present role as the registered service manager of Ty Machen, which is a small specialised unit for people with challenging behaviour owned and operated by Consensus Support.

Mrs Wenner said: “At Ty Machen, myself and my dedicated team of 21 support colleagues aim to work out care programmes tailored to our residents’ individual needs.

“For instance, we had one gentleman who was very afraid of hospitals and doctors, so for him we devised a de-sensorising programme on which I took him on trips to the hospital, had snacks on a bench in the grounds with him and then lunch in the café.

“We were able to gradually build up his confidence to the point where when he actually had to go into hospital it all went well for him.

“Generally, I like to create a family atmosphere at Ty Machen. I believe very much that when we’re looking after somebody’s son or daughter we should involve their families as much as possible and get all the input we can from them as they have given us a lot of trust.”

She added: “I feel very proud to be nominated and shortlisted for the Wales Care Awards. I’m also very proud of the service and my team and feel that I have one of the best jobs in the world.”

This is the 14th anniversary of the awards and the glittering presentation ceremony will be held at City Hall in Cardiff on Friday, October 21.

The awards are in association with Care Forum Wales, a not-for-profit organisation set up in 1993 to give independent care providers a single professional voice to speak on how to provide better quality care for those who need it most.