What is it like being a CareGiver?
Published: 22/07/2024
There are many different terms that can be used to describe an individual working in care: a carer, a care assistant, a personal assistant, a CareGiver, community care assistant, domiciliary carer, support worker and the list can go on.
No matter what role you are considering, they all have the same thing in common; providing care and support to individuals. But how do we do this? And what duties do they involve?
Right at Home Isle of Wight's CareGiver Ellie spends time with Marketing and Community Engagement Coordinator, Lucy, where she writes us a blog post about the Duties of CareGiver.
At Right at Home Isle of Wight we like to do things differently! Our Clients are at the heart of everything we do, so this means every day is a new adventure for our CareGivers. Whether it be assistance with personal care, domestic tasks, a friendly outing somewhere for some companionship or even baking a cake, our duties as a CareGiver are endless. At Right at Home Isle of Wight we have 4 key values to ensure every day is worthwhile for our CareGivers and our Clients. These are:
- Trust (this is fundamental to creating those strong relationships between clients and caregivers)
- Quality (we believe in providing the highest quality care, something we would be happy for our own families to receive, with a minimum of 1 hour care calls to ensure that we can deliver the quality care our clients deserve)
- Compassion (we prioritise a person-centred approach to care, ensuring it’s delivered with compassion and without judgement)
- Respect (we create an environment where clients and caregivers are encouraged to be themselves and help them to achieve their goals no matter how big or small they may be!)
Companionship
At Right at Home Isle of Wight, companionship plays a huge role in our CareGiver’s day to day role. It is so important to us that we build those strong relationships with our Clients so that both parties feel comfortable. Sometimes our CareGivers are the only source of interaction that Clients receive in a day, so building those bonds can make such a difference. Statistics show that 49.63% of adults reported feeling lonely – it has risen 6% since the COVID-19 pandemic. We strive to create magic moments for every individual our CareGivers see, so we keep creating those incredible memories too!
Personal Care
At Right at Home Isle of Wight, our CareGivers assist with personal care. This may sound daunting to a new starter in the care industry, and perhaps even find it intimidating or uncomfortable - but it is so important for our Clients to maintain their usual daily tasks to help maintain their dignity as well as their health and wellbeing. There is a stigma around personal care, and it’s quite often a taboo subject, but it is so important for us as a society to normalise this. Assisting with personal care is not just about ‘wiping bottoms!’ as many people believe it to be.
Mobility
At Right at Home Isle of Wight we also support our Clients with mobility and maintaining independence. Our CareGivers are fully trained in how to use equipment such as stand aids or hoists if our Clients require them. Issues with mobility often increase as we get older, so things that we might not think twice about (like standing from a chair) become a challenge for some. At Right at Home Isle of Wight, we believe it is crucial for our Clients to maintain as much of their independence as possible. Instead of doing things for them, our CareGivers assist as much as they are required to, but promote and encourage independence as much as we can.
Health
Looking after our Clients’ health is our number one priority, whether it be attending appointments or medication management, we support all the health necessities that our Clients require. We record notes of what we do during each call, in which relatives can read to keep up to date with their loved ones and check in on them too. In 2023, we completed over 23,000 hours of care calls!
Household Management
At Right at Home Isle of Wight, we also support with household management. These usually include the laundry, cleaning and oftentimes cooking – it was once quoted that “if you are a chef, now matter how good a chef you are, it’s not good cooking for yourself; the joy is in cooking for others.” Go and cook up a storm in that kitchen! It’s crucial to our CareGivers that we maintain a clean and safe environment, where our Clients feel comfortable, and most importantly, feel at home.
A career as a Right at Home Isle of Wight CareGiver is exceptionally rewarding and every one of our CareGivers come from all walks of life. Most people have the nature and transferable skills to have what it takes to make that positive impact on somebody’s day by being a CareGiver – and you probably don’t even realise it! It’s not for everyone, but we would all encourage you to take the plunge and give it a go.
Break the stigma!
If you would like to start a rewarding career in care, contact our friendly team at Right at Home Isle of Wight.
Have a chat with us and find our more!
