Recently I found myself getting involved in driving Care Workers too and from their shifts at various Care Homes. Now, I’m one of those annoying talkers, I’ll talk to anyone and everyone who looks at me, but after watching the news during the pandemic I was nervous about coming face to face with a front line Care Worker. My nerves were mainly focused on the fact that these amazing people are running themselves into the ground. Care Homes are seriously understaffed, Care Workers are leaving the profession for a number of reasons (I’m not here to talk about those reasons) and they are all tired, underpaid and over worked. What on earth, was I, someone who has worked in a cushy office for 22 years, going to talk about to these people?! I pulled up outside the home of the first Care Worker and found myself almost feeling sorry for them. The news has painted the worst picture possible and I was expecting a disheveled, shell of a human to walk towards me and pour themselves into my car, but how wrong I was!! They were full of energy and stories about their residents and the laughs they had with them on previous shifts. They bake for their residents and take in colouring pens and games for them just because one of them happened to mention that they liked a particular cake or played a certain game when they were a child. Now I’m not saying that they aren’t tired, underpaid and over worked, they definitely are but that doom mongering gloom disguises what these amazing, important and multi skilled people are really about!
A Care Worker is more than a worker in a home who cleans up and looks after the elderly, they are friends to their residents, comedians, confidants, agony aunts/uncles, counsellors, entertainers, teachers and to some they are like family. These wonderful people not only put their residents at ease and make them feel happy, safe and content but they also provide a sense of relief to the family and friends who have had to make the hard decision to put their relative or loved one into a care home.
So yeah, the care sector needs help and there are a lot of people struggling that absolutely shouldn’t be, however, please don’t allow this to stop us saluting and shouting from the rooftops about the unbelievable, unwaveringly supportive and loyal Care Workers who are currently working through the storm that a lot of us are only seeing through the news being spat at us from the TV’s in our living rooms.
Care work is hard, I don’t think anyone will argue with that but what I’ve learned from the Carers I’ve been lucky and privileged enough to meet is that it’s a truly wonderful job that makes a difference to so many at times that they need it most. Imagine being able to say that you’ve actually and genuinely contributed in a beautiful and wonderful way to so many peoples lives! I’ve never really had a hero but now I’ve got a few💙
Niki