Dania Meadows, joined our home in November 2022 and she credits her experience in the Cuban army as the reason she is so protective of her residents.

Born in Havana, Dania joined the Cuban army aged 19, becoming a sergeant and working in the special communication division.

“I loved the army,” she says. “I was there for four years. I learnt to fire an AK-47 and I won awards as my aim was very good.”

Dania has worked in the care sector for over twenty years and has managed large care homes within Staffordshire, but it was her time in the military which taught her essential skills in how to be a good care home manager.

“The army was a different mentality,” she explains. “It gave me a real sense of purpose and duty, the passion to do good for others and to put others before yourself. I definitely brought that with me to the care sector. There’s something in me, a sense of justice that runs deep within my principles to safeguard residents and to protect others.

“The army taught me self-discipline, resilience and commitment and I use those skills every day as a care home manager. I like inspirational leadership. I love to inspire others and it’s important to work with people and respect them. I’m always smiling and I’m very approachable but I’m also very serious about resident care.”

Dania came to the UK in 2002 and worked as a glass collector in a pub before finding a job as a care assistant and helping people living with dementia. She says;

“I loved it! I knew immediately I wanted to work in the care sector and that I wanted to be a nurse. I went to university and I worked every weekend as a care assistant to fund my degree. I was teaching myself English at the time and for the first six months I went to all my classes with a dictionary!”

Straight after her training Dania was offered a role as a deputy manager at a care home.

“I couldn’t believe it at the time,” she says. “I went straight from being a student nurse into a deputy manager role. I knew it was unusual, but they said they saw something in me. I was over the moon and I haven’t looked back!”

Barrowhill Hall has recently been rated ‘good’ by the Care Quality Commission and the report credits Dania for being a ‘confident and inclusive’ manager who supports staff.

Care assistant, Naomi Austin, 20, says, “It’s been amazing having Dania start as a manager here, she is a huge credit to our home and she has done so much for us all already.”

Our front of house and management support, Sherilee McConnon, 32, says, “We’re really grateful to Dania for helping us to get great results here. She’s a fantastic leader and we’ve learnt so much from her already. I don’t think she’ll be teaching us how to fire an AK-47 but she has said she’ll take us all salsa dancing!”