A carer who was inspired by his great-grandparents to join the profession as a teenager has set up his own venture in a bid to help the elderly live life to the full.
At the age of just 38, Gavin Hobson has 25-years of experience in the industry and is at the helm of brand new firm AAA Homecare Limited, based in Billingham.
The company provides five-star support not only to OAPs, but to anyone suffering from a health condition, as well as their caregivers, in the comfort of their own homes.
Gavin, who as a schoolboy helped his family look after his beloved great-grandparents Violet and Fred Copeland, said: "Our aim is to provide excellent, expert care, tailored to the individual needs of our customers.
"Alongside unrivalled healthcare, we do our best to fulfil any requests that help improve our clients' quality of life.
"They include a wide range of activities, from taking them dancing or for a pub lunch, having a chat and a cuppa to going shopping and looking after their personal care and medication needs. It's about individual, managed risk taking.
"We want our customers to live their lives to the absolute maximum within the limitations of their conditions.
"We care passionately about what we do, and will always go the extra mile to help them achieve that. Nothing is too much trouble.
"We also provide respite care so friends and relatives can take a break."
Gavin started looking after his great grandparents when he was 13. They inspired him to get a job in a care home when he left school aged just 15.
Second World War veteran Fred, who was captured by the Germans and later became a shipyard worker at Haverton Hill, died in 2001 aged 83. He suffered from Alzheimer's disease.
Violet, who worked in an ammunitions factory during the war, passed away aged 81 in 1998. She became a housewife and a cleaner before developing emphysema.
Gavin added: "They were both a massive influence in my life.
"My great nanna pushed me from a young age to do my best.
"I helped my family look after them.
"I learnt the value of supporting the elderly in their own homes from very early on.
"I would do my great nanna and granddad's shopping, sit and chat to them and support them both during the night. Small things that made a huge difference.
"It can be challenging caring for someone with Alzheimer's.
"I got experience of that very early on."
Gavin undertook work experience at South View Care Home, now Briardene, in Billingham, aged 14. When he left school a year later he began a full time apprenticeship at the home and stayed for two years.
He then moved to Ashbourne Lodge, which specialises in dementia care, where he worked for a further two years.
Gavin went on to be employed by domiciliary care companies, looking after customers in their own homes and by the age of 29, he had become a senior manager.
He said: "At South View, patient satisfaction and well-being were really important.
"The care they got was wonderful and I was proud to work there.
"At Ashbourne Lodge I spent 18 months as the cook. I was still just a teenager, but my great nanna had taught me how to cook healthy, nutritious meals.
"I realised how important it was for patients to eat well. I put so much effort into the meals, I got into trouble for going over budget.
"I would get the best meat from the butchers. I would use fresh cream and cook nice pies.
"I offered patients two different options. I was trying to build them up. A lot of them would be weighed every month, and they would be under weight. But they put on weight while I was the cook.
"I did shifts as a carer at the home, alongside working as a full time chef. I became a dad at 19 and had to support my family.
"It was tough, but I developed a strong work ethic when I was still very young."
Former secretary Wendy Jones, 57, suffers from MS and only has the use of one limb. She requires support from carers six times a day.
She said: "AAA Homecare have made a huge difference to my life.
"They help with cleaning, cooking and personal care. Nothing is too much trouble.
"I've had lots of carers over the years. Many were unreliable. One couldn't even make a piece of toast.
"AAA are head and shoulders above the rest. Their carers are friendly and trustworthy. There is no-one I'd rather have in my home."
The company, which spans Teesside, has been operating since October 2023.
It became registered with the Care Quality Commission in December of the same year allowing the team to carry out regulated care and support.
As well as running AAA Homecare, which has exclusively five star reviews on TrustPilot, Gavin still works as a carer, visiting clients in their home.
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He added: "The ethos of our business is to help people remain living independently at home for longer.
"We have a firm belief in dignity in care, and only recruit exceptional staff, who are truly passionate about our service users .
"We want everyone to know we're open for business, and are looking forward to making a real impact in the community."
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