Supreme Comfort shows appreciation for dedicated staff

During the month of March it is perhaps not the usual time for companies to celebrate their staff members, let alone during the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, one retirement care facility did just that, after it was able to weather the dreadful pandemic for almost two full years.

It received a scare for the first time in February of this year.

Founder of Supreme Comfort and Retirement Care Nicole Atkins recently celebrated at a restaurant in Worthing, Christ Church with her staff members, close friends and a handful of others who have been instrumental in the success of her eight-year-old business so far.

She said while the celebrations were long overdue since they were unable to have any meaningful merriment over the past two years due to the severity of the pandemic, it was even more so necessary in light of the St George facility being able to get through the height of the pandemic largely unscathed until the scare in February.

“There were key people that were instrumental in assisting the facility in getting over the COVID scare that we had, and that was in early February. So I just felt it fitting to honour from the doctor back down, in ensuring that what was to be done was done in every way and to the best of our ability, and thanking God that we did not lose any of our clients. That was the force behind celebrating the eight years in this fashion,” said Atkins.

“I was always one to say thank you . . . I have always been very strict because I am no-nonsense when it comes to my clients. I was so pleased with my staff in February that I decided I had to go beyond. Money can go, I could have easily given them $500 each and then they would spend that in a bill and may not remember, but I wanted to create a memory with my staff,” she said.

During the night of celebrations, staff members received various awards, while Atkins was surprised with an award as well.

She said, “when they feel appreciated they will feel comfortable to know they work very hard every day and they are appreciated. That is the same way I want to feel. I work hard to ensure that my clients have the best service so that celebration was one of many to come.”

Atkins said with every industry being different, it was up to leaders in their respective fields to find different ways to celebrate their staff even when it does not conform to what is normal and especially when staff have been able to weather certain storms like that of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

It was in 2014 that Atkins decided to open her own retirement care live-in facility, several years after her mother was diagnosed with the dreadful Alzheimer’s disease and her attempts to find the ideal care for her.

“My mother, who is currently at my facility, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s over 20 years ago. She was in a couple facilities and I wanted to do my own upgrade and take care of her how I wanted. So I was blessed with the opportunity to start and now here I am,” she said.

Supreme Comfort and Retirement Care has a staff complement of between six and ten people, depending on the level of occupancy at the facility, which can cater for up to 13 individuals. During the height of the pandemic the number of clients had to be limited to just over 70 per cent occupancy.

Atkins told Barbados TODAY that over the years business has been steady for her. Stating that she has been able to carve out a niche for herself over the years, Atkins said her focus has been on delivering high quality service and care while she prides herself on making the facility a “home away from home”.

“It is beyond the dollar. So when you choose Supreme you are not choosing Supreme because of a dollar,” she said.

“Most of my clients come from referral and one or two came from contacting me and liking how I sound or what I said,” she added. (MM)