Yesterday, the Trinity Home Care Worcester Park team was involved in a project to improve the quality of life for Cat, a long-term client. The case study highlights how thoughtful changes to her environment can make a big difference – not only for her comfort and well-being but also for the carers who support her every day.
When you’ve spent 7,935 hours with someone, you get to know them well. Cat joined Trinity Home Care on 6 December 2016, receiving double-up calls four times a day. Last year, we celebrated her 60th birthday.
Diagnosed with MS in 2003, Cat faced a gradual decline in mobility. When we first started visiting, she was walking with a frame and only had companion and cleaning calls three times a week. She has now been bedbound for the last five to six years.
Cat lives with her son Ethan and her cat, Freya, who originally belonged to her late mother. This year brought heartbreak. In February, her beloved blind cat Ash, who she’d raised from a kitten since he was 14, was tragically run over. Weeks later, her mother passed away.
Cat has always valued independence. She moved to her current flat to leave London, enjoy greenery, and reconnect with family, who moved to Epsom when she was 13. She left her job as a secretary for an estate agent to make the move.
Despite the grief, Cat kept her trademark wit:
“If you don’t laugh, you’ll cry- and I tell you, tissues are expensive.”
One day, she mentioned a vinyl record of her favourite artist, Joe Dassin, that she wanted displayed on her wall. The problem? “The walls look like they’ve been auditioning for a horror film,” she joked. That was the start of “Cat’s Fresh Coat Chronicles.”
Her bedroom, where she spends 24 hours a day, hadn’t been decorated since she moved in back in 1992. Recently, we’d arranged a state-of-the-art recliner to give her a better view out the window. Now, the aim was to make the whole space brighter, warmer, and more her.
Planning took nearly two months. Cat ran the project like a pro: risk assessments, colour charts, storage plans. Picking colours was the hardest part.
After much debate, she settled on:
- Poetic Pink for the ceiling – “so when I look up, it feels warm and cheerful”
- Marshmallow for the walls – soft and calming
- Dusky Rose for the feature walls – bold, warm, and a little romantic
On the big day, Cat directed the team from her bed. Seven hours later, the transformation was complete. Gone was the tired, faded room. In its place was a bright, cosy, personal space, soon to display her framed Joe Dassin record and other cherished pictures.
She recorded a thank-you message for the team: “I feel like I’ve moved house without packing a box.” All that’s left is for the team to return in a couple of days to hang her paintings, including the framed cover and vinyl that inspired the whole project. Before and after photos, images showing the decorating progress, the team at work, and Cat’s recorded thank-you message are attached.
Chloe, the field-based supervisor who visited that morning, said:
“Cat was elated with gratitude for everyone’s hard work. She is so pleased with the room; she said it feels like her own little sanctuary.”
Team Credits:
- Project Leads: Barbara Baig and Summer Smith
- Painting Experts: Rebecca Walton, Bradley Edwards, Chloe Beesley, Marissa Esternhuysen
- Storage Specialist: Cara Silvester
With a combined 64 years at Trinity – and slightly less painting experience – the team delivered more than a makeover. They gave Cat a space that matches her spirit.
“It’s perfect,” Cat said, “and finally, a room that makes me smile every time I open my eyes.”
