To ask why people think so little of care home staff?

[AMAcarer]

NC for this one

I'm a Senior Care Assistant in a Nursing home, I also previously worked in domiciliary care and support work. I'm extremely experienced, kind and compassionate, I know I excel in my role and I mentor my team to high standards BUT I'm at breaking point.

I could write paragraph after paragraph about how we are treated often by residents' family members, and how their expectations just simply don't match up to reality, and they never ever will unless by some miracle my 40 bed unit has at least 2-1 staffing ratios! So many of my colleagues are in tears during their shifts, being told their best isn't good enough (and many other nasty jibes) by family members or friends of residents.

Now, I know many have bad experiences with Care and Nursing homes, they don't always get it right. People are living longer including those with severe disabilities and impairments, than we didn't see reach these ages in the past. We are so short staffed, and cannot attract new staff due to the poor pay for the demanding role we do.

If Care staff are so utterly useless then why are we trusted with some of the most vulnerable people to look after? Why can residents' loved ones not see the bigger picture we face in the home? Why do they not trust what we communicate to them in terms of what their loved one needs? Why are we not deemed as being skilled workers or valued the same as others in health and social care?

What can be done to make us valued, and respected and our role recognised?

I know many people DO understand and we have many kind visitors to the home, but the overwhelming majority just seem to berate us at any given opportunity. We can't go on like this,

Many homes are now owned by private equity firms who are not in the business of providing care they are simply interested in asset stripping and profit. Sadly the residents who are paying eye watering costs are not getting value for money which angers family members. The homes are often badly run, short staffed and badly paid. Of course there are some fantastic homes and great people but they are becoming increasingly rare.

I really relate to your post op. I worked in care for 15 years; in-patient units, care in the community, supported living and nursing homes. You get no respect and I accumulated debt over that time as I was paid a pittance despite doing every training course going. I left the sector this year for a mon-fri 9-5. I wish I left years ago. I wasted so many years languishing. People just think of you as a 'bum-wiper' even though care is a profession. The whole sector needs overhauled. I can't believe I ordered medication, administered medication - prescribed and controlled, attended social work meetings, wrote detailed reports and care plans, risk assessed etc for £10 an hour! What a joke.

If Care staff are so utterly useless then why are we trusted with some of the most vulnerable people to look after?

I felt the same working in schools (particularly over Covid) where the government and the media were tripping over themselves to paint teachers as lazy, leftie or inept, yet still want children in earlier doing breakfast clubs, longer days, shorter holidays and want more and more added to the curriculum because a minority of parents aren’t doing it at home. If we are that dreadful, why do you want us to have your children even more?!

Definitely, it really shows the respect that people have for those in need and the vulnerable when the people charged with supporting them, improving their daily life and monitoring their wellbeing are paid less than refuse collectors.

X

This sounds awful and cynical, but unfortunately, it's true. I had a career break from an emergency service, where I expected to see people at their worst, but that's why I was called out, to help, so you are prepared to deal with all sorts thrown at you. However, on my career break, I worked in retail for a bit, and a lot of the public I dealt with were rude and entitled. I was not expecting this in an environment where people were simply going about their everyday lives doing the mundane. It was inexcusable.
I wasn't actually planning on going back to the emergency service, but if I was going to be dealing with this side of human nature I at least wanted to be in an environment where I could at least empathise with where it was coming from so went back. People can be awful at times and take it out on retail/care staff for no reason at all (most of what I experienced, there was no actual reason for it).
OP, I do think your environment will be similar, I feel for you. I think you should all have more recognition for the profession you're in.

A central register for care staff might help, with wages in line with NHS staff who are much better paid for the same work

Agree with this.

The 'problem' is that pretty much anyone can get a job as a carer and people know this - and there are some people who will therefore treat you like shit because they consider you beneath them.

Care roles don't align with any other roles in health and social care. You couldn't walk into a job as a nurse or in social work without some qualifications but you can in care which seems bonkers.

OP asked why are carers not respected?

I'd say it's because -

Misogyny (most caring roles undertaken by women)

Low pay

Few qualifications involved

No career path

So, if eg, working as a carer was part of nedical training to be a Dr, people might view it differently

To clarify, I think it's a difficult role that, when performed well, is incredibly valuable

I left a job in a care home yesterday. My job wasn’t actually care, but I worked closely with carers.

I three months I’ve seen:

People being told there’s not enough staff for them to use the toilet and to ‘do it in your pad’. This was said in a busy room with other residents and left the person in question in tears trying to hold it in.

Watched a resident being dragged by a carer screaming, ‘let me go’ repeatedly.

In three months I didn’t see a single person have a bath. I was told the baths didn’t work and haven’t got years.

Found a massive knife in one of the bathrooms (one of the residents liked to collect cutlery and crockery and wash it up). When I queried it I was told it was the gardeners, but left unattended in reach of people with dementia.

A man repeatedly telling staff he was cold and being ignored. He was visibly shivering.

Lots more, they’ll come to me.

It made me depressed.

And this was a large chain of homes that pride themselves on ‘premium’ service.

Because people equate what you get paid with what you are worth.
Care staff are some of the lowest paid workers, doing a job that is often complex (often now tasks that used to be reserved for nurses),physically and emotionally gruelling and always under resourced. People often aren't aware of that, or if they are they choose not to be.
I was a care home manager for 24 years. Of course there are bad staff. But the majority of them are doing an amazing job in circumstances other people wouldn't consider getting out of bed for.
The nurses and drs going on strike for better t's and c's and pay wouldn't last a week in a care job. And get social care props up the NHS. Without it hospitals woods be overrun in days. The way social care is viewed, prioritised and remunerated makes me seethe!!

Probably the same people in many cases who are rude to retail workers.

It's such a hard job and people are overstretched as no one one wants to do it. I just hope I have the strength to end it myself if I ever have to go into a care home. It sounds awful.

No care role is paid well enough or valued and respected enough whether that is childcare or adult care. I’ve done both.

It really frustrates me that someone sitting behind a desk is paid more and valued more than those caring for our most vulnerable in a physically hard and sometimes emotionally hard
role.

We would have relatives visit once a year and do nothing but complain about the care and yet they weren’t willing to do anything to change their lives to offer the person support.

On the whole people I know who have needed carers for end of life loved ones recently have had nothing but relieved praise.

^^all of this.

There are many answers to your questions OP.

There are great carers and great care homes but there also many shitty care homes with awful care workers. There are unfortunately a lot of bad apples in your industry and this colours public perception.

As PP said, carers are low paid, often unqualified and frequently attract unenthusiastic, disinterested individuals and this translates into the poor quality care that they provide.

There’s little incentive for intelligent, skilled workers to stay in care - especially when the work is so gruelling.

This means that families know many care workers are either a) not knowledgeable or b) not really interested - and sometimes both. This can make it very difficult to trust the judgement of the care worker especially if they’re communicating difficult news.

You asked why families use care homes if they’re so poorly thought of - sometimes it’s the only choice a family has. It doesn’t mean they trust you, it’s just that they can’t look after the family member at home.

And on that note, care workers are so used to the daily grind of the job, there’s often scant communication with the family about expectations. I understand that’s partially due to time pressures but you’re asking what contributes to the frustration of families, and this is part of it.

OP, earlier in this thread you casually mentioned that of COURSE the patients in your unit couldn’t have a shower every day although they could have a strip down wash. This is the kind of thing that families might struggle with as it’s a pretty basic request. My beloved dad never missed a daily shower, even when he was battling severe cognitive decline with Huntingtons Disease. He’d have been deeply distressed not to be able to shower daily. I would say that being able to shower daily (if desired) is a very basic care need but you mentioned so casually that it wouldn’t be possible, as if that should be obvious…. And this is where the understaffing is going to clash with family expectations. Because it would seem to suggest that no matter how caring you are, patients at your facility are a very long way from getting their basic needs met. That’s not your fault but for family members who have trusted the care home with the well-being of their relative, of course they’re going to be unhappy. You think these family members are unreasonable because you’re working hard and doing your best - but from the family’s perspective, their loved one isn’t getting the basic care they need. It’s an awful situation all round.

Prob worth mentioning that I was also a care worker when I was younger, so I’ve seen it from both sides.

A radical shake up is needed for all of the above reasons but it’s vanishingly unlikely because the Tories don’t really care about the elderly, and Labour don’t seem interested either.

@TheLightSideOfTheMoon - that is really shocking, and genuinely heartbreaking.

I think manners and etiquette are failing in general and a growing number of people are just awful to everyone tbh. This post could be applied to various other jobs and activities such as nurseries, schools, retail, call centres and road users. It’s shit and unacceptable behaviour, but I don’t think it’s ‘about’ care home staff as such. It’s unacceptable though and must be incredibly hard to deal with day in, day out.

I think everyone wants their family member to receive the lindividualised oving care they would, in an ideal world, receive from loved ones at home.

But that isn't possible. Everyone deep down wants their loved one to be a priority and when there's a dozen or more other residents to consider, that can't happen.

And some family members have unrealistic expectations and wants.

My Nan was sent to a care home for rehabilitation. She was neglected even though we were visiting every day. She had an undiagnosed water infection. It eventually killed her as it turned to pneumonia. She wasn't being given fluids either unless we gave them to her. She went from a fit 96 year old to being unrecognisable.

I have the greatest respect for anyone who works in care, as I know I couldn't do it, and I think they should be paid more than what they are. I'm not in the UK, but I was more than happy with the care given to my late DM in two different rest homes. The first one closed due to a lack of residents, and the staff were so caring and upset for the people in their care having to move. My late DF lived in his own apartment within a rest home complex, and needed care in the last month of his life, and once again he received excellent care. However, I do know people who moan and groan, and make demands of the staff who are doing a good job anyway, but can't be expected to be everywhere at the same time, and it angers me. I haven't seen anyone who is just doing the work because they need to do something and care work is easy to get into.

I don't think it's unrealistic to expect the person in care to be clean and taken to the toilet regularly.

All jobs are like this, police, lawyer, dentist, GP.. there are always negative opinions. The more you work directly with jo public the more grief and shit you get.

Yep. People are just ghastly and entitled.
I worked in a residential home, not in a care role, and most, but not all, of the staff were excellent. It’s such a hard job. I think a decent career is an absolute angel.

Re the central register - in Scotland we have the SSSC - is there no equivalent in the rest of the UK? To keep your registration you have to do complete an SVQ and do CPD hours every year.

I remember feeling annoyed DM in hospital didn’t get a daily shower - then worked out the timing - one frail unsteady patient to the shower, undressed and in ,15mins, helped to wash , left to wash intimate parts, waited on as risky to leave unattended 15mins,helped to dry and dress 10 mins.wheeled back to bed,helped int chair 10ish. Total - 50mins x 20 for all patients in ward 1000 mins, 16 hours, 2staff full time,no 3staff full time for 7 day week(not covering staff hols). Do you want me to add in taking to toilet regularly and possible wash down if incontinent ????
People should work it out and then you see why care homes cost so much.

my adult dc (severely disabled ) lives in a care home. the staff are great. I call them professionals because that is what they are. they work hard and my dc is really happy. there was a deputy manager who lied to us. this led to a lack of trust, but they have left now.
I don't gel with one member of staff. but accept thats life. dc likes them and thats what matters. I wish carers were treated as the professionals they are.
they should be up there with teachers and nurses.