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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Paid Carers -pot luck

3 replies

LightBulbMomentEveryday · 14/04/2023 11:39

My mum has recently moved into a residential home, the carers there seem to be very nice.
Before this she had community carers into her home 4 times a day- again they all seemed very nice and she liked them all (a few she said were blunt but think that’s a personality thing as she never really complained) no issues, everything she needed done was done.
I have friends who’s parents are in residential homes and others who have community care and have nothing but complaints.
Is it really that varied? Surely community carers are vetted and tasks have to be completed at each call?
how is it not a stricter sector? My mum was able to communicate so I’m guessing that takes a lot of worry out but the home she is in now seems to be full of rules and procedures so how do they not get caught when they fail to care or carry out basic tasks?

OP posts:
Cleoforever · 14/04/2023 11:44

Yes “it really is that varied”

same with nursery staff

low paid. High turnover. Name of the game

🤷‍♀️

JayniSummers · 14/04/2023 11:57

I think , unfortunately it depends , in relation to homecare, if you pay privately or have social services provide the care . My experience of privately paid homecare is that the careres get paid more , trained better and the customer has more choice . It should not be this way but sadly it is

Carerer · 14/04/2023 11:58

how is it not a stricter sector?

Because it is a difficult stressful job that in many cases has low job satisfication.

It's all very well if you are caring for a nice little old lady who just has mobility issues and is polite and grateful. It's another thing if you have having to clean up piss and shit of a violent cantankerous old man with vascular dementia. Far more caring jobs are closer to the latter than the former.

Add to that low pay and in the case of employees of caring companies -the companies creaming off the better part of £40 an hour for themselves and paying the employee minimum or near minimum wage - all adds up to a massively understaffed sector.

Good carers are ones that are qualified, trained, kind, patient and care about their job and their client - they tend to be people choosing it as a life long career choice. Lots of people in the sector are literally only doing it as a stop gap to make some money, don't care and are pefunctory and abrupt and really don't care.

Staffing levels mean they can't be stricter and in a lot of cases the 'strictness' really relates to personality issues rather than base level competence.

Don't forget also that many people who engage carers or care homes for the relatives who need them - themselves don't actually give a shit either. They just want problematic dad/mum/aunty/uncle dealt with - sadly. So they don't police or demand higher standards. Not everyone but some.

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