The Struggles With Working in Care

Whether you’re working in a care home with an agency or as a private carer, many problems are faced. We, as a platform, are trying to help carers face and overcome those problems. 

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Working in Care

Zero-hours contracts have no guaranteed hours or times of work. Their use for care workers helps the home care providers manage peaks. However, they are not well-loved by employees. For some people, they are ideal as they can offer a degree of flexibility and a higher hourly rate; however, Zero-hours contracts can make it difficult to manage time and budgets.

Managing Varied Shifts and Hours

Managing varied shifts and hours can be a struggle, but it is something most carers will have to overcome. Working as a carer, you have to organise your time so that you attend all of your necessary visits in a single day. Due to the nature of some roles, clients might need aid at varied hours of the day, so your working pattern is unlikely to ever be a routine 9 to 5.

You may need to work long or short shifts, irregular hours, and sometimes even during the weekends, so this is something you must consider before becoming a carer. However, some roles, like being a private carer, do allow you to agree to work on your own terms, times and days.

As a result of irregular hours, some care workers find it difficult to fit in personal responsibilities around work. By planning your time in advance and learning to balance your work and personal life, you are more likely to be successful and satisfied as a carer.

Working in a Care Home

Working in a care home can be slightly more challenging, with usually longer working hours and caring for multiple clients at the same time. When working in a care home, you may also experience a resist for some clients.

PrimeCarers does not offer care home opportunities. If you’re looking to work in a care home, you might like to try: https://www.carehome.co.uk/jobs/

When the Service User Resists the Care

Some people end up at a home as a last resort, while others agree to be there. This doesn’t mean everyone wants to receive care. This can be a challenge for you and the client. The client is most likely afraid to lose their independence, so as a carer, you should try and ease them into it, making sure they are comfortable and making sure they are doing as much as possible without your help. You should also keep a note for whenever someone refuses care, and you should notify their relatives so they are aware of the situation.

What’s it Like Being a Care Assistant?

Working as a care assistant is a fulfilling role to take on. It includes lots of work and knowledge, and no two days are the same. There are a lot of positive stories about working as a care assistant, but just like any job, there can be bad experiences. To hopefully prevent bad experiences, we thought we’d share four things you will probably experience that you’re not usually told about when becoming a care assistant.

Frequent Fallers

It is quite common for elderly people to fall; sometimes, obstacles can cause an accident, but sometimes, you can do nothing. In fact, the chances of falling at 65+ is increased to 30%.

Read more about how to deal with elderly falls: https://primecarers.co.uk/providing-care/how-to-deal-with-elderly-falls

Breaking The Bad News

This is by far the worst thing you may have to do as a care assistant. And that is telling family members that their loved one has passed. It is not the easiest thing to do, and it’s not something anyone wants to do; if you have the unfortunate task of delivering this information, we advise you to try to stay very calm and try to answer all their questions as much as possible. Of course this may be difficult and the family member may even be angry as well as upset, but that is understandable.

Getting Too Attached

Of course, another way of looking at the passing of a client is that it doesn’t matter if you are working in a care home or working in care privately; you are advised to keep your relationship as professional as possible, especially when working in a care home, as you should understand that the average resident is there for two and a half years. But it is understandable that after taking care of someone for two years, it would be difficult not to have a bond with your client. Understanding the situation and not getting too attached is something to be considered throughout your caring career, as it will help you carry on and will help you take the news emotionally.

The Emotions Of A Single Day

Working as a care assistant is an emotionally tough job; a skill that many carers have is to change their mood quickly and easily. It can be draining, but it is helpful when working in a care home. One moment, you could be comforting a resident, then you might have to break the bad news to a family member of a previous resident, and then you may be having a cheerful conversation with another resident.