A Day In the Life of Homecare
What is it like to be a homecare worker?
What does an average day working in homecare contain? If you are thinking about a career in care or looking for a support service for your loved one, read on to learn a little about what one of our nurses or home carers gets up to. The answer is an impressive one!
No two days are the same
The first thing to learn about care is that there is no ‘average’ day. Working in homecare means working with people, and every one of our Service Users is unique – in fact, a lot of them are real characters. Any day might throw a curveball or challenge at you, but we also meet incredible people, and it is an incredible privilege and joy to get to know everyone we support.
The background
Our carers will either arrive to us with a NVQ Level 2 Health & Social care, or they will be working on this during their first two years with us. We support this ongoing training, as well as the other aspects of our team’s lives that they need to juggle, by offering flexible working hours. You might start early some days, getting a Service User ready to start their day, or you might work late, letting them end their day with help and security.
Care work: What we do
Our home carers will visit our Service Users at an agreed time daily to provide:
– Help in moving around. This might mean getting in or out of bed, a chair or the bath.
– Assistance in dressing, washing and eating.
– If agreed, keeping the home clean, hygienic and safe.
– Helping with the shopping, the laundry, and other daily tasks.
– Our carers are not asked to cook, but they might reheat prepped meals.
Our palliative carers also do an amazing job in supporting our Service Users who have decided to spend their last days at home with family and loved ones. They work alongside nurses and other healthcare professionals to provide emotional support to the individual’s and their families. All of these roles are essential to the wellbeing of our Service Users. However, they aren’t the full story: our team members also provide so much more. A carer is not just in someone’s life to help with movement and chores – they provide company, a confidant, and a friend. Whilst staying on top of the to and fro of day to day life, our team members also:
– Get to know our Service Users, listening to them and sharing stories and life experiences.
– Encourage socialisation and activities where possible.
– Keep an eye on our Users’ mental health & wellbeing.
– Stay caring and vigilant over health and ability, and pass on witnessed changes as needed, to make sure our Service Users keep getting the help and support they need.
In all we do, some points are key: we protect the dignity, privacy and wellbeing of our Service Users as our top priority; we are ready to go above and beyond to make their day positive, safe and stress-free; we are not just here to do a job – we are here to be an ally and friend.
We operate throughout Norfolk & Suffolk, supporting not only the elderly, but also young adults, and anyone dealing with physical or mental health issues that impacts their day to day living.
If you have a loved one who requires homecare support, contact us today or call us on 01603 865 665 to discuss their needs and what we can do to help.
