Ezelina Dacruz – Clinical Lead Nurse

Ezelina, who is originally from Malawi, has lived in Wales for 18 years and has been learning Welsh as a third language to help improve the standard of care she’s able to offer residents.

"Wherever you are in the world, interacting with someone in their language makes them feel you are a part of them. It builds a connection, and you often find they open up to you more."

“I’ve been a nurse for 23 years. Although I did my training in Malawi, I’ve spent most of my career working here in Wales.

“I’ve never done a Welsh course, but I’ve picked up conversational Welsh from my colleagues over the years and it’s made a huge difference to the care I’m able to offer.

“We often find residents with dementia will go back to speaking the language they spoke when they were young, so having the ability to communicate even basic Welsh to the residents is important.

“You don’t need to know a lot – it can be basic sentences like “Good morning. How are you feeling? Are you in pain?” A little goes a long way.

“The way you interact with residents and their families is so important. We support them medically, physically, and emotionally right until the end. If I’m managing to make them comfortable in this environment, then that’s a highlight for me.”