18th March 2026
From the very beginning, Pauline built warm, trusting relationships with the people she supports. So when she was asked to become part of Anna’s* core team, she embraced the responsibility wholeheartedly.
Anna has lived in her home for more than 30 years. Fiercely independent and full of character, she had built a life there. Yet, for decades, very little was known about her family. Colleagues were unaware that Anna was one of eleven children. Over time, contact had faded, and her connection to her siblings had become little more than a distant memory.
Pauline saw not just Anna’s present – but her past, and her possibilities.
This year, Pauline gently and respectfully helped rebuild a bridge that had long since fallen away. She formed a connection with Anna’s niece and helped Anna book a holiday in Weymouth, close to where her niece lives, so they could finally spend time together.
That holiday became so much more than a trip to the seaside.
Anna met her niece and her great-nephew. They laughed, shared stories, and simply enjoyed being in each other’s company. It was the beginning of something beautiful. After the holiday, Anna’s niece shared contact details for other siblings. Since then, Anna has travelled to three more meet-ups – halfway between her home and Weymouth – where she has been reunited with three sisters.
Including her youngest sister.
The sister she had never met before.
Pauline has supported Anna every step of the way- helping to arrange plans, organise travel, and offer reassurance. But when the reunions happen, Pauline steps back.
She says it is such a pleasure to take a back seat and see Anna engaging with her family,” Hannah White, Locality Manager, explains. “There are photos of Anna looking genuinely happy with, as her niece says, ‘her people’.
For Anna’s family, the reconnection has been just as powerful. They are overjoyed to have her back in their lives. This Christmas was the first time Anna had a bulging bag of presents given by her family – gifts chosen with love, not bought for herself.
And the story isn’t finished yet.
Next on the horizon is something very special: Pauline is now supporting Anna to arrange her 80th birthday party this summer – one that, for the first time in decades, could be surrounded by sisters, a brother, nieces, nephews… family.
When Pauline was thanked during her appraisal for the extraordinary work she has done to help Anna reconnect, her response was simple:
Well, that’s what we’re here for.
But what Pauline has done goes far beyond a job description. She has restored connections thought lost. She has helped return a sister, an aunt, a family member to the people who never stopped being hers.
And in doing so, she has given Anna something priceless –
She has helped her find her people again.
*not her real name or photo