Handyman with heart

At Pāpāmoa Beach Village, maintenance person, Paul Clifford, does more than fix leaky faucets and squeaky doors. He creates heartfelt, handmade items designed to bring comfort and joy to care and dementia residents.

Most recently, Paul has built and installed an official looking Post Box for residents in the care home to place their letters and cards addressed to their loved ones. The letters are then duly collected and posted by the village team.

“The idea came about after chatting with our Nurse Manager, Trudy Anderson, so it was a collaborative idea.”

For Paul, another driver was seeing the attention to detail that went into the care of a close family member, who was living with dementia.

“I realised the profound impact that tactile and familiar objects had on their journey, so it was important the Post Box looked as realistic as possible,” says Paul.

Paul has also built a work bench with safely secured tools and a ‘fidget board’ with familiar items like switches, handles and buttons, for residents in the dementia unit to touch and engage with.

“Tactility plays an important role on the dementia journey as it helps stimulate memory, provides comfort and can reduce stress.”

With a keen eye for detail and a big heart, Paul is proving that small acts of kindness can make a world of difference.