The joys of home care

[Neverafrownwithgoldenbrown]

Had 8 people to visit this morning, some in different areas. Most calls were for showers, so could be up to 45 minutes at some houses.
Families complaining because they all want a 9am call but I can't be in 3 different places at 9.
Expected to answer calls from the company in between.
Started at 7:35am this morning and finished at 12.30pm.
Dealing with mostly nice clients luckily but some incredibly awkward ones, you've opened their curtains a centimetre too much, the porridge is slightly too thick, you've folded the towel incorrectly, and so on.
A mentally ill client shrieking at you that you're 'unbeliavable' then friendly and offering you a drink the next minute.

Back in again 4:30pm till 9:30!

The way social care is run is utterly crap. Everyone wants a fantastic service but no one wants to pay enough and aren't shy about demanding high standards, and then you have the providers taking their wedge while piling pressure on the workers to defy the laws of physics and be in two places at once to deliver these high standards while resources are lower and lower.

What's your AIBU ?

Yes being a Dom (care at home) carer is a tough role and vastly under appreciated in society and the pay doesn't reflect how crucial a role it is.

Yes some clients and relatives can be exacting and complain over little things (sometimes as it is important as impacts negatively on other aspects otherwise, sometimes as the client has little control they can exert over their lives so this feels important to them , sometimes that's just who they are) and there are also very appreciative clients and relatives too who may make your day.

Yes everyone wants the 8am or 9am slot but the earliest slots are usually targeted to those who require hoisting or who need help to get out of bed and are dependent solely on carers for food and fluids and time specific meds. And that can feel frustrating to the cared for person who can't do what they want when they want to.

Travelling in between care calls is hard too when you hit rush hour traffic whilst the next call is quite a drive away, and none of that has been factored in...

General public don't realise how hard Dom carers work , they understand nurses and carers in hospitals work but don't realise how it can be even tougher to deliver that support to someone in their own home.

Bless you, you are doing such a tough job, and very few of us have the patience and empathy for it.

I have a family member who relies on people like you. I have no clue how she behaves with her carers, but I do hope it’s more pleasant than the way she behaves with her family.
💐 and thank you.

I guess there wasn't really an aibu, more to vent.
I do understand that point, it gives them something they have control over as they have lost the independence they had.
We are often given back to back calls so either have to be late or cut a call early as there is no travel time factored in

The lack of travel time is ridiculous. I used to be a home carer and used to have a client at 8.30pm. She was autistic and could not handle that call being late, but by 8.30 at night I was so behind having had no travel time factored in throughout the day, coupled with calls that were 30 minutes long but really needed to be 45 mins or an hour. Ugh it used to make me feel so shit for her.

I sympathise, it's not nice if people have a go at you for timescales that are out with your control

But I'm sure you can understand why service users don't want to wake at 7 and wait until 10am for a shower, or have their evening meal at 4.30pm