To be infuriated by this comment

[mrsb345]

I was out recently with some friends and the conversation went onto care homes/ carers etc.
One friend said 'all carers do is wipe their bums all day and change beds'
I was absolutely shocked; to the point I went to the bar to get another drink before throwing my other one over her.
I have worked in care, educational SEN settings and for the County Council in Care support. Why do people have this opinion when I can say being a carer/ supporting others is the best job I could ever ask for!???

@Constance1234 I did set her straight, I was so annoyed and upset. I wasn't rude; I set her straight.

I have carers but am full independent in personal care (they help me put compression stockings on and off but I do everything else). The agency actively encourages the carers to do more, any spare time in my calls they’re supposed to get to know me, offer to do any jobs, not just leave when they’ve done my stockings. In the last week one carer put my hair up in a fancy braid, another fixed my knitting. And more boring, but useful, someone put the rubbish out.

I have to be honest, my daughter did a stint as a carer when ar uni as a summer job, and she did have to do a lot of personal care. Clearly there are other elements to the job depending on many factors, but personal care was a large part of the job. No two ways about it.

So as much as the comment is not ok, I do think uou need to acknowledge that in some environments this type of personal care is a large part of the job.

It's very wrong for those who have done it, and done it with dignity, empathy and care, often whilst being abused by the person they are caring for, to pretend it's not sometimes a large part of the job for some.

There is nothing wrong with providing personal care like this. Some day you might need someone to do it for you.

@mrsb345 glad to hear it, people like that need to be told when they are being ignorant!

Many people on this post are confusing carers with support workers. Carers jobs are a lot more physical and may involve personal care, housework etc. A support worker is there to enable people with disabilities to lead a full and independent life as possible by offering emotional and practical support eg going to the bank or shopping. It's not my job to do it for them but to help them do it for themselves. I'm on mat leave at present but am looking forward to going back to my support worker role. I quite often sit eating cake in posh cafes thinking how lucky I am to get paid to do it! I work in an independent house with ladies with LD. I think both roles are very important.

I'm a HCA in a hospital and it's demanding, but the personal care doesn't bother me what so ever. But I love doing the obsvertaions the blood sugars and ECG's.
I'm going to Uni in January to do children's nursing, and I cannot wait, but I think everyone who wants to go into nursing should definitely do a HCA job first.
But you're right, it annoys me when people say that they're just a glorified bum wiper