Articles

Got What it Takes to be a Carer?

09/08/2016

Could you be a Carer? This might have been a career path you have seen advertised somewhere and started to think about. The job description would have been along the lines of how rewarding and satisfying you would find it, how you would play a special part in a person's life and possibly how well you would be paid.

While all of the reasons you read about are true and genuine, there are some very definite aspects you should consider before applying for this type of job. Not everyone will be able to do this job, it can be very isolated and lonely at times, but brings rewards in other ways.

Most people have had some sort of caring experience before, even though you might not have recognised it as such. Have you ever looked after an older person, taken care of someone while they were ill, visited someone regularly in hospital or done the shopping for someone who was unable to do it themselves? How did this make you feel? Were you grateful for your own good health but still ready to help? Then you have the most important quality to become a carer – compassion. This is the most important quality for any carer to have – be they a carer who only comes in for an hour or two, or a full time carer who lives with a person 2/7. Without compassion, this job will not work for anyone.

How are your organisational skills? Are you the person who does things without being prompted, without supervision, keeps the ship sailing – so to speak? In this job you will need to assume the role of leader whilst still being able to take a back seat at times. Your client will more than likely not be able to take care of themselves and their home any longer so it will fall to you to assume that role. You will become in effect, the lady (or man) of the house while the client still maintains their status. This is a hard task and not everyone can do it. At times you will need to take a step back into the shadows, while at other times you will need to make decisions for them.

Cooking and light housework are part of the job and most people are no strangers to this. Adaptability is the key, can you change your cooking style to suit an older person?

A very important quality you will need to have is humility. Aspects of the caring job are extremely humbling, you will need to be a shoulder to lean on perhaps for family as well as your client. Can you put yourself in second place and your client in the forefront of every decision you make?

 Live in Care is one of the most rewarding jobs you will do, it will fill you with an inner satisfaction, you will find strengths that you never knew you had. It will also try your patience to limits you never knew you could deal with!

Possibly the most all encompassing quality to have for a live in care job is humour! If you can keep smiling through the day, keep a positive attitude and unselfishly give of yourself, then this will be a job that will work for you.