To think home care is an absolute nightmare?

[Stuffedcrustpizza1]

I’ve worked in a nursing home before but this is something else.
I’ve had one day of shadowing, and then that’s it, out on my own to calls.

I walk but calls are no more than 15 minutes walk apart. Even if I power walk, it’s an issue.

My first call was at 7am, that was supposed to be 30 minutes and then another call directly after for 30 minutes, even though it takes 10 minutes to walk there.

Both calls went over 30 minutes, I need to be more firm and just go, but one kept saying she was frightened then another lady kept asking me to do extra things, so it was more like 45 minutes for both.

Then a lady didn’t answer, so that delayed me. I then had to wait 2 hours at a 30 minute call for an ambulance to arrive for a lady that had fallen over, so that meant I had to phone on call and cancel 2 of my calls, I bet they and their families were not happy at all with me.

7 hours nearly without using the toilet. Hopefully I’ll get more used to it over time, you feel like each call is so rushed and that you can’t give the adequate care.

Anyone else done this job or had experience of home carers?

You will never be allocated enough time together cook someone a meal as it's a limited resource, you can spend an hour cooking someone a meal when someone needs personal care. The whole service is a nightmare, for the service users and the people working in it

Honestly I would get out if I were you

Honestly I would get out if I were you

@Christinayangtwistedsister and how does that help anyone? All it does is make a bad situation worse. People NEED care. What needs to happen is that people start to appreciate that the care profession is just that a profession and that good quality care costs! Encouraging people out of the profession does nothing constructive.

^Honestly I would get out if I were you

This with banners and flashing lights!!!!!!!!!! Absolutely get the fuck out. It will wear you down, your energy, your spirit, everything.

Yes, I worked in this sort of care for a while. The unwritten rule was you cut each call short to allow time to get to the next one. Heart breaking when you might be the only person that client sees all day. It wasn't right and I quit because I refused to be a part of it.

Not even sure if we’re allowed to but I hadn’t used the toilet for hours so I asked one client if I could use hers. Was riddled with spiders so won’t be using that one again lol.
Some calls are literally just making them a drink or signing for a tablet so I am able to cut them short. It’s the morning ones that are a bit of a nightmare, it’s not fair on them that calls have to be cut short, I have seen a company that advertises an hour call minimum so that could be a better bet

It was the same at the care home though, was almost like a conveyor belt and you didn’t have the chance to sit down and chat to the residents or spend as much time with them, it was unfair.

There's a reason why this industry has such a huge staff turnover.

I work as a home carer and this has been my life for the last 5 years, It's the norm unfortunately, but not ideal in anyway.

Hats off to you, OP - I couldn't do home care. I know quite a lot of carers and private home care companies take the absolute piss with scheduling to the detriment of the carers and the clients :(

A friend of mine now works in the care team for the council (not sure if all councils have these - they do packages for recently home from hospital people, etc) and it's far, far better run, if that's an option for you!

A friend of mine did this. She said the amount of time allocated was way too low and no account taken of travel time between jobs. She used to be in tears over the inadequate care she provided through no fault of her own. Lasted 8 months.

A nightmare for all concerned.
The care staff for having no travel time between clients/family, expected to fit 45 mins of work into a 30 minute slot.
The vulnerable person having to lie in bed (sometimes wet or soiled) until 11am as the agency cannot supply a double team until this time, having to go to bed at 6pm as this is the latest the day team can do without having a live in carer. Then fitting in two visits between these times as the needs assessment team has said four visits a day by a double team. Spending a lot of time alone (and in the dark if the carers had left at 6pm for the night the summer)
The families who are still doing the bulk of the caring (quite often falling to one person as the siblings suddenly are too far, too busy or just can't be bothered) as the morning, late evenings and sometimes nights have to be covered during around work and young families.
We did this for a time for DM until realised that a good, close care home with proper 24 hour care was far better (siblings still can't be bothered apart from moaning that we have "stuck here in a home")

I have done it and it is a really physically and emotionally demanding job with terrible pay and conditions. You could look at nights (which are better in that you usually do a full night or even a sleeping night and the travel is reduced) or, depending on your circumstances, there are companies who offer live in carers who tend to do a few weeks then have a few weeks off. The only good thing about the job is the clients, most of whom are lovely and very appreciative. It is a sad inditement of our values that the poorest paid and trained (mainly women of course) do one of the most valuable roles in our society. I hope things get better and some agencies are better than others so might be worth trying elsewhere x

I worked as a walking home Carer and you are allowed to be 15 mins late or early so don't stress too much about that as for the ambulance things like that happen and I bet the family of the lay you stayed with are so grateful to you so think about that please and that's what the in call are there for emergencies like you had
You will get faster and figure out your own routine in the homes as you get to know the clients and their care plans and sadly which ones are taking the mick sounds awful but there have been a few who did it to me lol
Keep at it you are doing a very rewarding job and once you settle you will love it
You can ask for more shadowing if you feel you need it don't be scared good luck x

@Dobbyafreeelf

Honestly I would get out if I were you

@Christinayangtwistedsister and how does that help anyone? All it does is make a bad situation worse. People NEED care. What needs to happen is that people start to appreciate that the care profession is just that a profession and that good quality care costs! Encouraging people out of the profession does nothing constructive.

People do need care but not at the cost of the individual delivering it. It's not just about being appreciated it's that it is massively underfunded and with no sign of that changing , I wouldn't encourage anyone to get into care at home at the moment

The whole set up for people being provided with 15min or even 30min calls with no travel time between them is just not sustainable.

When DM needed more support , we had great service for daily visits from https://www.homeinstead.co.uk and then for live in support from https://www.country-cousins.co.uk

These companies act as agency to put people and carers in touch. The carers are mostly self employed. Not sure what they would be like as employers but it was great to be able to buy in support for DM.

She had carers come in each day for four hours to help her up in the morning, make lunch, leave something like a sandwich for supper and help her to bed if she wanted that help.

They were all very flexible, some gave her manicures others showed her pictures on their phones (cast to the TV) or chatted about soap operas or whatever. They would play board games or do anything really. It was so helpful for DSis and myself to know they're was someone there each day.

Having three of four regulars meant that they could cover each other's holidays etc

Once DM couldn't be left alone, we have someone live in for a fortnight at a time. Again, three people did this in rotation. A fortnight is long enough to get used to someone but hopefully not to get bored with each other.

Such a great service , always looking for more hood people. We paid an agency fee plus the carers directly.

@Dobbyafreeelf

Honestly I would get out if I were you

@Christinayangtwistedsister and how does that help anyone? All it does is make a bad situation worse. People NEED care. What needs to happen is that people start to appreciate that the care profession is just that a profession and that good quality care costs! Encouraging people out of the profession does nothing constructive.

But it's this - trading on people's guilt and good will to keep them in the job when they are being treated so badly - that ensures it keeps happening, like calling it a 'vocation' to justify the poor treatment of staff and blaming them for poor care being delivered when they have no choice. "You should do it because you love it" fine and I kind of agree, but the unfortunately no one is willing to accept 'love' in favour of money for people working in this industry that need to pay their bills. The majority of issues come down to one thing, lack of money, be that because of lack of funding or because companies are maximising profit makes little difference to the clients or staff, the result is the same.

Many people and bodies have tried to warn about this and are studiously ignored by everyone just about and unfortunately that's going to lead to a lack of people wanting to do the job and people leaving due to bad experiences, and no, no one will listen until we reach crisis point and someone like Panorama does an exposé but the truth is exposed rather than the carers being scapegoated and the people in the offices making the decisions are actually held to account.

I really, really wish people would listen, I wish things would change and that the government and powers that be would implement changes now before it gets even worse, I wish society would wake up and demand change now, but it's not happening, things are the same and will stay this way until it becomes that bad with lack of staff etc that it's impossible to ignore.

What company are you with. I tried this once and lasted one day shadowing. The carer I shadowed drove at such breakneck speed between appointments I was in fear for my life. She also ran from the car to each front door. There was 15 minutes between appointments though. Care companies make big profits and are mean and stingy with the staff. For instance although the rate was £10 per hour they paid minimum wage between appointments. Mileage rate was crap and you had to pay for your own business insurance

This is very, very sad. It's not right or fair on carers or people dependent on care.

I found if you act as if you have all the time in the world instead of rushing people, you actually get the jobs done quicker!

I agree with this. From the other side, if you're dependent on a carer and you know they're only going to be there very briefly and you then see them rushing through the only 30 minutes of the day where you have support, and looking as if they're going to cut that even shorter, it panics people. Which then leads to the frightened attempts to delay you.

Imagine that you can't get yourself out of bed alone or fed alone, and when your carer arrives they rush through everything like a whirlwind which gets your heart racing and adrenaline pumping, and it all happens so fast you can't process if they've done everything you needed and before you've had time to think they're disappearing out the door early. You would panic and try to stop them, wouldn't you?

Even if you give someone the full time, rushing through everything makes it look like you're not and also makes people feel disrespected. Again, if you needed care (possibly quite intimate care) and someone you barely knew rushed you through everything and made you feel invaded and unimportant as a person, you'd feel disrespected.

Which then alters their behaviour towards you and leaves you feeling disrespected too.

If you don't rush and don't leave people feeling dehumanised like they're on a conveyor belt, they will be calmer and it will be easier for both of you.

Better for everyone if you stop rushing tbh, even if it feels counterintuitive with the pressure you're under.

I wish things would change and that the government and powers that be would implement changes now before it gets even worse, I wish society would wake up and demand change now

Also agree with this. It reflects how little society values disabled people (many of whom are young) and elderly people, and that is incredibly depressing.

Everyone involved deserves better.

I did this job for 5 years and I loved it. In my company they would try put a walker (ie someone without a car) on double ups. Or give them calls near to their home.
At first dont worry too much about the timings. Some days the shit hits the fan and your still getting people out of bed when doing your lunch calls.
Do remember as well atm the calls take 45 minutes but as you get your regulars and get used to what each person requires you'll get much faster.
Hope this makes you feel a bit better about your choice.

Is did home care for 3 years and it was an absolute joke.

I stayed at 7am and my last breakfast on my rota was at 1.30pm because they crammed as many on my sheet as possible. Obviously I didn’t finish at that time for breakfasts but it was stressful trying to drive and get to everyone.

If you want a better less stressful home care job then the local government councils are good. Well, the one I worked for were. I got a council car and didn’t ever have many on my sheet. Better pay and less stressful.

You’re doing a good job.

Care at home had always been sold as an alternative to LTC but really how can a maximum of four visits a day replace 24 hour care?

Carers are out in all weathers, working split shifts, doing lone working and dealing with huge responsibilities such as adult protection and yet are paid less than someone in a call centre

I’m a domiciliary carer. Your company doesn’t sound very organised at all. Even a driver can’t magically be at the next call when they end/start at the same time so I don’t get that logic. No company is perfect but yours sounds like a chaotic mess.

Welcome to the world of domcillory. I drive between houses as walking would be impossible some of my calls are 10 minutes drive away. I have the same issue. You have calls right on top of each other. But it forces you to speed up. I make sure to do medication and food and fluids. Personal care is usually secondary once the important stuff is done. Not the best. And families complain. Then the office emails everyone saying "this is terrible no one is staying at so and so for the full time. I will be monitoring" yet they give us no choice. The ones that do the rotas don't see people or locations. Names names on a board. They couldn't care less honestly. It really annoys me. Because they blame us at the end of the day. We get the fallout from their choices. I have been doing this job 10 years. And I'm leaving soon. They have taken too much from me. But it's the service users that suffer. 😢

I had a friend who did this and she also didn’t drive and remember her saying how it was impossible getting to jobs on time. Even with a car, impossible to give everyone 30 mins if zero travel time.