There are a few stories to add to this page so please return to see updates.

 

For a few years now I have worked in care homes and have had several experiences both in the day time and at night. For privacy reasons I cannot tell you names or places, so the names of people and places I do use will be made up. Also for the same reason, no pictures unfortunately - sorry.

 

Care home 1.

 

Care home 1 was the first home I ever worked in, situated in Hessle, a former hotel and fairly old building that was quite big and quite attractive from the outside. In total I worked there for about 14 or 15 months working night shifts. There was roughly 35 residents and 2 staff including myself (yes we were busy!). In the main building there was a basement kitchen and laundry, bedrooms, dining and communal areas on the ground floor followed by 2 upper floors of bedrooms.  There was also the extension part of the building which was much newer consisting of conservatory and 2 floors of bedrooms and bathrooms.

Like in all care homes people come and go and often people will die in these places - I never knew for sure if any of the following stories were caused by a deceased resident or not but sat here remembering some of the people that lived there I would not be shocked if it was them!

The main experience I remember happened when myself and my work mate was seeing to our duties after clients had been helped to  bed. As night staff we had a lot of cleaning to do, vaccuum and wipe down in the lounge and also clean tables and mop the floors in the dining area. This particular night it was my turn to sort out the dining area - it was a boring job but easy and I just got on with it.  As like every other night I pulled the chairs away from the table, swept and then mopped and finally push all the chairs back into place under the tables. I helped with a bit of hoovering in the main hallway then both my work mate and myself went downstairs  for a coffee and a smoke.  Being night staff we were lucky enough to not have a manager hovering over us so our breaks were as and when we wanted so we never felt the need to rush.  We had our break and then went to sort out some laundry together, this job usually lasted us about half an hour and after this we would usually stop to eat.  We took our food back upstairs as we liked to sit in the lounge to eat but on this night we were in for a bit of a shock. As we came through the door which led into the dining area from the basement kitchen we found that every single chair (roughly 40 chairs) in the dining room had been pulled away from the tables where they sat, not just a little, they were pulled right out!  We btoh stopped dead in our tracks not really registering what we had seen. I started to question myself wether I had left the chairs like that myself, I knew I hadn't as we both would of walked into them as we passed through earlier in the night. As we sat and discussed it we asked ourselves if it could have been a resident who did it, we knew no one else was in the building as it was very secure but really we knew it wasn't a resident, they were all very old, weak and feeble - not only that but we were sure that we would of heard the chairs being dragged across the wooden floor one at a time as we were previously right underneath the dining room in the laundry and kitchen - you could always hear the foot steps of people walking through if you were downstairs. Staff in the home always thought the place was haunted and I guess this only strengthend that belief as we told what had happened to the day staff as the came the following morning.  Of course we were asked questions like - Did you hear anything? Did you see anything? The answer to these questions is a solid NO! Even though it was, what I think, quite a big paranormal event there was not a single sound when it happend, no sightings of a ghost/apparition and no unnerving feeling (at this time anyway). I cannot explain this other than a ghostly or paranormal event - some people I have told this to have even suggested this to be Poltergiest activity. However you look at it. it was frightening, exciting, amazing and interesting all at the same time. i sometimes wish I had expeienced the chairs moving for myself, but then again, I would probably shit myself!

 

There were many other experiences in Care Home 1 that have involved feelings of being watched and followed.  Feeling frightend for no apparent reason was common place to the point myself and work mate wouldn't leave each others side, some nights nothing at all but other nights it was terrible, I have felt so scared I would be shaking and, my work mate has burst into tears.  We would never tease each other or tell ghostly stories knowing full well we would only end up in a real state, the building itself and its unseen residents did that to us more than enough.

I would really like to set up a few cameras and sound recroders around the home to try and investigate but as it is a care home, I know it would not be possible to do - a shame really, I'd almost bet I would get some evidence of activity there!

 

 

To continue, my experiences in care homes do not end there.  I left Care Home 1 to go and work day shifts in a place closer to home, I'd had enough of working nights, not because of all that activity I seemed to be experiencing but because of my health and the fact I wasn't seeing my wife and kids as much as I would like to. I applied for work in Care Home 2 and was soon working the same type of job just in a different place. In the department I started with in Care Home 2 I can't say anything really happend for a long time until an unexpected death occurred. I cannot tell you the deatils of the death only that the person who passed away was a very big character, full of life and very cheeky!  It was a massive shock for all who knew him when he died and people were very upset for a long time.  I remember sitting on the couch in the communal area one afternoon doing some paper work and chatting with other staff and clients when I caught a very quick glimpse of this person. I saw him pop his head around the door with a big grin on his face - something which in life he would often do! It wasn.t frightening or awful to experience, although it did make me jump a little, like you would expect it to.  Even though it happend quickly, I could see his face and all his features, his arm and shoulder coming around the door and some of his body - it was just like he was actually stood there, only very briefly.

That was the only experience I had in that department, I spent 6 months in there with nothing else happen.  However,  after 6 moths of working in that department I transferd into another unit. In this department illness and death were more commonplace and although people did not die on a daily basis thankfully, it did happen from time to time.  As before real names cannot be used but I can tell you the experiences that I had.

I remember not long after I started in the department there was a chap who never really spoke, in fact, I don't think I ever heard him speak a single word. He seemed to be a nice man, never violent like some with illnesses can be, always silent but always present. He suddenly became very ill and while previously very mobile was confined to bed due to his illnesss and growing weakness.  As always staff kept a very close eye on him, nurses controlled pain and he was made as comfortable as possible, still washed and shaved, clothing changed and still continued to talk to him.  Sadly, the day came when  he passed away and, of course, staff who were close to him were very upset. He too was a great character in his own way, a funny man if you knew him well enough and he would often be found in either a toilet or bathroom - we never really knew why but he would always end up in one of them!

Some time after, I don't know how long, I think I saw him. I was walking along the corridor to one of the rooms and as I passed the bathroom I saw the dark figure that I was sure was him. The door was only open a few inches but I saw a figure, full length from head to toe stood peeking through the small opening, it was stood just like the chap would, same size and shape too. This was only a fleeting glance because as I looked again, the figure was gone.

I do not know how I knew it was him, I just did. It was the first thing that popped into my head - I didn't feel scared or uncomfortable, in fact seeing him there just like he would have done in life sort of made me chuckle.

 

It is quite common for staff to experience things in these homes and we will usually tell others of our experiences without ridicule, most people have experienced something so it is usually accepted. However, it is not as common for staff to experience the same thing which leads me to my next experience.

 

Recently, as I walked around the care home doing my jobs I heard a voice behind me call my name. I turned to see who had called of me and there was no one around, so, as you would I asked people in nearby rooms and offices if they have called of me - no one had.  I didn't think this too unusual and just carried on as normal.  It wasn't until later in the day when my manager, who I previously asked if she had called me, came over to me and told me that 2 other people had experienced the very same thing! One of them was a manager of the next department and a carer in the next department - both of tham had heard their names called but no actual person around them had called their names! Not a really frightening experience, but one that I think is very interesting, 3 people having heard their name called but no one around to call it - to me that suggests the possibility of an intellectual spirit and not something that is more residual, something, I feel, that has some sort of conciousness.....maybe?

 

And for now, my last noteworthy experience. I say this because I could go on all day about strange little things but for now until I see some sort of connectionI will keep them to myself so I hope you find my last experience in this section entertaining at least.

 

I had spent almost 2 years caring directly for one man.  In that time we had got to know each other very well and like many poeple who spend a lot of time together we had shared good times and not so good times, arguments, disagreements and at times he had insulted me quite badly numerous times. That said we were still friends.  As poorly as he was with various problems and disabilities he had often given advice when my car had developed a fault and more often then not he was right. We talked about many things, photography was a really good subject for us as we both enjoyed it a great deal.  As I knew him so well, it was very obvious to me when I saw his health decline, he had been recieving treatment for a number of years and unfortunately the treatment was no longer working.  It was decided by various agencies that his treatment should be stopped and as sad as it is, everyone knew this was the best way - it would only prolong the agony for him for no decent results in return if the treatment, which he hated, continued.

The treatment ended followed by a quick decline and after roughly 2 weeks he passed away.  My manager telephoned me to tell me he had died that evening so I got out of bed and went into work to pay my respects and to see the old guy off.  Staff and other agencies present were kind enough to allow me a little time with him before the undertakers took him away.  I went into his room and had a little chat with him and then turned and left the room closing the door behind me.  As the undertakers arrived I took them to his room, the undertaker tried the door, it would not open so he asked for the key. My manager who was still present said "the door should be open", the undertaker tried again, it still would not open. My manager tried the door, and yes, it would not open.  I tried the door and it wouldn't open and I don't know why but I said "Come on now "NAME", stop buggering about", with that I opened the door.  Both myself, my manager, the undertakers and the other agencies that were present just looked at each other with amazement. Yes I know, the door could of just got stuck but don't you think it is strange that I had to tell him to stop buggering about before it would open?

 

That is sadly all I have for now in this section but please call back to read experiences as they happen, hopefully it wont be too long before I can add more.