I want to be a Carer

[Horsedogbird]

I want to be a Carer but don't know which option would be better, home care or care home?
I want to do it part time.
I have young children, one in school and one in nursery so this could be difficult but doable.
I asked about volunteering but one local home don't take volunteers and another home didn't get back to me.

Worked in residential homes for 3 years. Did about 6 weeks in home care as I was desperate for a job, it honestly was awful but it obviously depends who you work for. I had the agency from hell. I’ve also only ever heard bad things about home care from colleagues.

Now I work in supported living for people with learning disabilities and it’s more enjoyable than elderly care IMO.

I'll try and describe a typical home care run for you! Not including filling in the care book as that's on every call. I do this care run all the time so it's familiar and it's pretty standard for me. I was with the same double up partner from 6pm until finishing but I also do a lot of single calls if I'm not doing this particular run. I like this one because I know them well, I can chat, catch up, and it's quicker if you know it
Obviously we travel in between each call!

4pm - 4.30pm. Double call, pad change, apply creams, slide sheet up bed. Chat (67yo female, MS)
4.30pm - 5pm. Single call, make a coffee and a ready meal, wash breakfast dishes and close curtains. Chat, fuss dog (59yo male, COPD)
5pm - 6pm I had a break
6pm - 6.30pm. Double call. Hoist into bed from chair, pad change, hoist back. Chat (21yo male, cancer)
6.30pm - 7pm. Single call. Try to persuade to eat, refuses so make cup of tea and rice pudding. Wash up. Give meds (75yo female, dementia)
7pm - 7.30pm. Double call. Hoist into bed, pad change, into pjs, make comfy in bed, attach a uridom and catheter. Chat to him and his wife (76yo male, MS)
7.30pm - 8pm. Double call. Hoist to commode, hoist to bed, into pjs, give meds, wash up, pad change. Switch tv off and close curtains (70yo female, MS)
8pm- 8.30pm. Double call. Back to the 21yo from earlier, hoist into bed, into pjs, change pad, make him comfy
8.30pm - 9pm. Double call. Hoist into bed, into pjs, give meds and do eye and ear drops, change pad, lots of reassurance on this one needed (97yo female, dementia)
9pm - 9.30pm. Double call. Assist to toilet, into pjs, prompt meds, assist to bed, tidy kitchen, chat, get clothes out for morning (65yo female, MS)
9.30pm - 10pm. Double call. He's already in bed. Change catheter bag, full body wash, change pad, chat to wife, admire new kitchen, tidy up after ourselves. (58yo male, MS)

What Fission says. Someone as a PA who can help people with learning disabilities - care in their home and also to take them out and about (shopping, cinema, activities etc). Or respite care so parents with disabled kids can get a bit of a break!

I work in a care home on an EMI/end of life unit. I work 12 hour night shifts. Half my night is spent on one to one usually with a sleeping resident. The rest is doing nightly checks. We have bed turns, 2, 3, or 4 hourly. Fluid intake. And toileting checks every 3 hours. Some of our residents are completely incapable of communicating with you so you have to work out what their needs are. Alot are violent and will lash out hard when you try to help with personal care. But i love them. I get to sit and chat with them when they are awake. I get to dance with them. I get to laugh and look at pictures of their lives. I get to sit with them and calm them down. Hold their hand when they are sad. Reassure them we are there to help. See them smile. I love my job. I love the residents i work with. Yeah theres stupid amounts of paper work and time constraints that are nearly impossible at times. But i know my residents and their history and their needs. I dont think you get that in homecare. It seems less personal, more about how many clients you can see. If you find a good home, with decent staff and management that understand the job and allow flexibility on getting task complete. Then its the best job you will have

The ratios cold gave are way off for my care home. We have the one to ones then over night 5 staff and a nurse. During the day one to ones plus 12 staff 1 senior 1 unit manager and a nurse. We have 25 residents. 5 are 24 hour one to one. 3 more that are on to one during waking hours. We have more than enough staff to get jobs done most of the time. Obviously theres nights its harder and everyone requires more time. But we have management that understand that.

@LolaLouise do you mind if I ask you what type of a person you are? What type of a person do you think will succeed if they were to do your job please? Many thanks

I did home care for about 9 months to fit around my DDs who were 5 and 3 yrs old. It was part time as a 'bank' care worker.
I was supposed to do 3 X evening shifts 7- Midnight and one Saturday morning 6am- 2pm.
Ended up doing way more and even Sundays, so hardly got time with my family.
They were CONSTANTLY on the phone, nagging me to come in on my days off.
The straw that broke my back was when they said i HAD TO work Sundays and take my kids with me and leave them in the car!!
WTF?!
So I resigned.
Missed the clients. They were all lovely, but the management in care homes and services can be horrid!
Make sure you get one with a good reputation and not too many people leaving!

I don't think I could work in a care home, well unless its 1 (out of 5) locally, which is a nice and caring place. The others are awful and I'd be reporting people left right and centre if I worked there (so not very popular lol).

I have had experience of them whilst I was a student nurse. One home, in particular, patients were left alone .. 11 am and a patient with dementia was left in his bed, curtains closed so in darkness, absolutely soaked in urine and he was really sore so it hadn't just happened. The district nurse and I, who were on visits to check medication, we mentioned it to staff (all standing in a side room discussing the night out last night) as we were on a tight schedule but they shrugged and carried on talking to each other, so we did go back in and get him clean and bed changed. Dread to think what its like on a daily basis.

Unless you are working in a home with good staff, it must be soul-destroying. I do get that its really hard work, its hard work on the wards, especially care for the elderly and dementia wards, but fgs.. if these people don't care about the people they are supposed to be caring for? why are they doing it? its not like the pay is good, it isn't, its crap.. but even if its a low paid job, human decency costs nothing.

Sorry went off on a total rant there. If you find the right care home, its hard work, but it could be a lovely job, you just need the right staff around you, preferably good management too, but you can cope as a team, even if management are crap. Without a good team it will be near damn impossible.

@poisionoussmurf that's what worries me and @flowerfae yes I would find it very difficult if the management were crap and I didn't have a good team to work with. I think it would be soul destroying unfortunately.

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If you find a good care home , with good staff and managers then I would recommend care home work every time but that is my preference.
I work as a senior care assistant in a 22 bed home, some residential, some with dementia, end of life and a few which are more nursing care. I love my job. We have three care staff on in the mornings and 3 on the afternoon/evening shift, plus a senior on both shifts. Sometimes they are very busy depending on the resident's needs but 9/10 shifts run smoothly, resident's are very well cared for and there is even time to sit and chat to them more now than there used to be. Activities run everyday, even if it is just some board games or dominoes in the afternoon.
I know some homes are awful, I wouldn't out my mum into any of them, not enough staff, staff not qualified or it is 'just a job', rubbish management, no person-centred care, but we aren't all like that.

residents*

That was hurting my eyes!

Thanks chimpychops. I've sent you a PM, hope you don't mind.

@Horsedogbird Patience is the key for working in a nursing. These people are often scared and confused. That can result in them lashing out. Last night i was punched kicked bit spat at called every name under the sun, by a resident with sever dementia. All he saw was this strange woman coming at him to take his clothes off. Men of that generation are taught not to expose them self to women. Alot of them hate personal care, they just cant process how it's necessary and lash out. You have to have the patience to deal with it and understand it isnt them. This resident as soon as cleaned up and in fresh bedding was wanting hugs and kisses goodnight. That aspect of the job is hard. We have another lady who cries. She doesnt talk at all, but she sits and stares at you with an intensity i cant describe with real thick heavy tears falling down. Its heartbreaking as theres nothing you can do bar air by her bed and hold her hands till she falls asleep.

As others have said, finding the right care hope is a must, but once you do, it is the best job ive ever had

Sorry typos 😭

@Olivander84 do you enjoy it?