Care professional Sinu Ravindran, a homemaker at Richmond Manor Care Home in Ampthill, Bedfordshire, has won a poetry competition organised by Hamberley Care Homes.

The judges singled out Ravindran’s entry for how movingly it depicted the love and dedication of those looking after older people.

Hamberley Care Homes chief executive Paul Hill said the judges had been impressed by all the entries, but the beauty and sentiment of Ravindran’s poem stood out.

 “Sinu’s poem was outstanding because of the beautiful imagery she used and the way it captured the deep bond between care professionals and residents,” he said.

In second place was Our Day by receptionist Isla McAllistair from Elstow Manor Care Home in Wixams, Bedfordshire. Kelly Carhart from Lovell Place Care Home in Bristol came third.

“I am so happy to have won – I never expected to,” said Ravindran. “I wrote the poem in my first language [Malayalam], and then my 15-year-old son helped me translate it into English. My words come from the heart as I see it as a great privilege to care for the residents.”

Richmond Manor resident Rosemary Parrish, 83, read Ravindran’s poem. “I feel quite emotional after reading that, and you know me, I don’t often get emotional,” she said. “I think the poem is exceptional and sums up what it is like to be here.”

Winning poem

In twilight’s gentle embrace, they stand, the guardians of time,

With hearts so full of empathy, in rhythm and in rhyme.

They walk the quiet corridors, where memories softly tread,

And offer up their caring hands, where older feet may dread.

They speak in soothing whispers, that calm the troubled mind,

And in their words, a sanctuary, the elderly do find.

With every act of kindness, they weave a tapestry of care,

A testament to the love they give, and all the burdens they bear.

The carer’s touch is magic, it turns the grey to gold,

Reviving stories left untold, as life’s last chapters unfold.

They are the unsung heroes, in the autumn of life’s day,

With patience, they listen and laugh, and chase the clouds away.

So let us sing for carers, whose spirits never tire,

With every dawn, they light anew, compassion’s sacred fire.

For in the waning of the years, when strength begins to wane,

The carer’s love is steadfast, a balm for every pain.

By Sinu Ravindran