No two days are ever the same for a home carer. Some offer night services, palliative care or family respite care. Every person cared for has a range of different routines and needs and our carers tailor their visits to each and every person.
Here is what a ‘typical’ day looks like for one of our Senior Carers, Alan Scaum.
Early Start for the First Client
I often start early, with first calls usually involving assisting people out of bed. Some of these people have conditions such as arthritis or are suffering from the aftermath of a stroke, which means they need with activities such as getting washed, dressed and ready for the day.
Unfortunately, for some people, I am the only person they will see in the day so I enjoy spending as much time as I can with these people by stopping to talk and listen to what they have to say.
Breakfast Time
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day not only for myself, but particularly for the people I care for. I ask my clients what they would like to give them the independence of choice for what to eat, this can range from cereal to a full English breakfast. Usually, breakfast is followed up by a hot cup of tea or coffee and then I get on with any cleaning task that needs undertaking.
Lunch Visits
Lunch usually consists of returning to the same people I visited in the morning to make them lunch and do some light cleaning duties. Some clients help me to carry out these tasks which we actively encourage at Minster Home Care.
Each person I care for chooses what lunch they would like and often, I am asked to sit and have my lunch with them so that we can sit and chat, getting to know each other and what the rest of the day may entail. After this, I administer any medication that they need, and I may assist them with any continence needs.
Social Time
This is my favourite time of the day where I can sit and chat to the people I care for as there are no real tasks to do within this time. Social calls can be anything from sitting and having a cup of tea with a client or taking them out for a walk. Some calls can be a trip to the supermarket because a lot of people I care for are unable to go by themselves.
Evening Meal
For the evening meal, I usually go back to the clients that I have seen for breakfast and lunch and we discuss the day and catch-up on anything that may have happened.
I administer any medication that needs to be taken at this time of the day and I will make my clients an evening meal of their choosing, which can range from a freshly cooked homemade meal or a simple sandwich.
Bedtime
Bedtime consists of the last calls of the day, where I assist many of the people I care for in getting to bed and helping with any continence needs. Some of my clients like to have a hot drink and a biscuit or a cake before bed, which I prepare for them. When I leave the home of a client, I make sure they are safe by closing all of the windows and locking the doors.
Once I am home myself, I can get my feet up and think about the day I’ve had. I like to reflect on the differences I have made to people’s lives and how I can carry on helping my clients in the best way I can. I thoroughly enjoy working as a home carer and my working structure at Minster Home Care has allowed me to get to know each and every one of my clients, so I am safe in the knowledge that they are receiving the best care possible.