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At Ashberry Healthcare, our teams are built on people who bring far more than skills to their roles - they bring compassion, dedication and a genuine commitment to the individuals in their care. Jane Stanfield is one such person. As Chaplain at Brockworth House Nursing Home, she offers something essential: the gift of being truly present.
Jane has been part of the Brockworth House team since October 2019, arriving just before the world was turned upside down by Covid. Her path to chaplaincy was anything but conventional. Jane originally trained and practised as a solicitor before recognising that she needed to be working more directly with people. That shift led her first to supporting young adults with learning disabilities, then to caring for older people living with dementia, and eventually to more than seventeen years working for Carers Gloucestershire - advising and supporting unpaid family carers who were often going unrecognised.
When the opportunity at Brockworth House arose, Jane wasn't sure it was the right fit. It took a nudge from her husband to encourage her to apply. It turned out to be exactly the right move.
For those unfamiliar with the role, chaplaincy in a care home setting is about far more than religious observance. Jane's role is to support the spiritual needs of all residents - regardless of faith or background - in a compassionate, person-centred way. Spiritual wellbeing, she explains, encompasses the need to feel recognised, to have one's identity affirmed, to stay connected with loved ones and the wider world, and, for those who hold a faith, to be supported in expressing it.
No two days look the same. In any given week, Jane might be walking in the garden with a resident, looking through family photo albums, leading a church service, playing Bruce Springsteen songs with a fan, or simply sitting quietly and holding someone's hand. It is never boring.
Brockworth House is primarily a dementia nursing home, and Jane's understanding of what that means for her role runs deep. She has come to appreciate the intrinsic value of every individual, whatever their cognitive abilities - and her approach reflects that.
"It is absolutely not my job to 'convert' people - my role is to listen, to get alongside people, and to try to offer non-judgemental support. To recognise everyone's uniqueness and value."
She has been moved by how many residents, even those with advanced dementia, respond warmly when they reconnect with hymns or prayers from earlier in their lives.
One moment that has stayed with Jane involves a resident from a European country who spoke no English. During a service, the resident listened quietly - until Jane played some church music in her own language. Her face lit up, her hands lifted, and she began to speak. It is the kind of moment that speaks to what chaplaincy, at its best, can do.
Listening is at the heart of everything Jane does. Attentive, focused listening - the kind that communicates genuine interest and respect - is how she builds connection, especially with residents who may struggle to express themselves verbally. Over time, she has learned to understand the many individual ways people communicate, even without words.
What brings her the most joy at work is seeing residents engage with one another - discovering a conversation happening between two people who have found each other's company. The moments she finds most rewarding are when a resident says they feel better after a service, or when she finds a way to reach someone who cannot speak.
Jane is a member of the Methodist Church, though she is not an ordained minister. She brings experience leading worship and draws on a wide range of transferable skills from her previous career. When residents of other faiths are living at the home, she ensures their needs are met by connecting them with their own faith leaders.
Being part of the staff team makes her more accessible than an external chaplain might be. And from that position inside the team, she witnesses loving care given to residents every day by her colleagues.
It is a privilege to be part of it.
If you'd like to find out more about how we support the wellbeing of residents at an Ashberry care home, visit our wellbeing page.
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