Becoming Invisible

[B72]

All this is so true. And so depressing.

From another one of the invisible.

 

[jennifer1967]

i think that it depends how proactive bosses/owners of the business whether carehome or care agency are about training their staff and how much of a priority they think it is.
my own experience - i was paid minimum wage which increase only when the minimum wage was increase. this well below the living wage. i was expected to do everything, personal care and anything that the residents needed including medication administration, cleaning, laundry, cooking, washing-up and clean kitchen, make sure residents are eating and drinking and to write a log of what the residents have done/refused to do, how much eaten/drunk, any medical visits and toilet patterns.
i had 6 hours along with the other carers and its hard work. all that needing training and there is also mandatory training, health and safety, safeguarding, challenging behaviour, infection control, moving and handling properly along with other relevant training EOL, meds admin, dementia and types along with the history of how it was discovered. along with nvq 2 and care certificate that is done in our own time but not a choice. we all had to do it with no exceptions but were still only paid minimum wage even after all the courses i did. i did escorts to medical appts as well so needed to make sure i was up to date.
caring is a vocation as its not for the money. the owner insisted on training otherwise, you didnt get a job. it didnt help that nurses and medics didnt rate carers either.
this was precovid. i left 4 years ago after partial knee replacement after i injured my knee at work. this is my experience and no one elses. what they do in other areas, i dont know.

 

[Jaded'n'faded]

I think carers are hugely underrated and grossly underpaid.

But I'm also concerned about all the unpaid, family carers - what training do they get? Why are people expected to know how to deal with someone who has an incredibly complex and unpredictable disease, just because they are related to them?

 

[jennifer1967]

there should be moving and handling training at the very least as its very easy to risk your own or PWD safety and injury which can last forever. medication is another one as it can be serious if give the wrong ones at the wrong time etc. it is left up to voluntary and charity organisations to pick up the slack where there is a gap. the agencies need to be better educated. when i did the scrutiny panel at my own city council, i explained the run around you have to do just to get the basics met. they really couldnt believe the amount of effort it takes to get help and where to find it. you have to rely on the experiences of others that have already been there.

 

[kindred]

I think carers are hugely underrated and grossly underpaid.

But I'm also concerned about all the unpaid, family carers - what training do they get? Why are people expected to know how to deal with someone who has an incredibly complex and unpredictable disease, just because they are related to them?

Jaded, I love your posts. I think at base it’s just so long as someone is there with the dementia person, that’s it. Job done, authorities can look away.

 

[B72]

I’m goiMH to say something which will be unpopular.

Yes, our family and friends disappear.

But friends, they disappear at any long term illness or bereavement. Many people can’t or don’t know how to cope. And there’s another point, we don’t know what other people are coping with. I have a friend with dementia. Not a very close friend. First I visited her on my own. (She lived at home with a full time paid Carer. When it became really hard, I approached a friend of hers, and we supported each other visiting her. It helped with conversation. My sister had died recently, and then my twin was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and of course my husband has Lewes Bodies. I had enough on my plate and I stopped Using her. I’m sure her family sisters and sons say all her friends have deserted her. But it’s not so simple. Apparently she’s in a Care Home now. One with a fantastic reputation. But I haven’t visited her. There’s been COVID and my husband’s deteriorated . You don’t know what other people have. (And at my age, everyone has something.)

Family, our daughter helps practically, but she can’t cope emotionally. And she has a demanding job. I can’t blame her. When my father had a very disabling and debilitating stroke, I found it very hard to cope. Easier with my mother in law’s dementia - no emotional attachment.

But having said all that, it’s hard to be invisible.

 

[CoastalPair]

Hi everyone

We must really offer our sincerest thanks to everyone who replied and posted comments, having read them all, it does seem that our little vent of frustration really hit a nerve with far too many carers for it not to be the actual reality for dementia suffers.

We fully intend to start petitioning our recently Knighted MP and our local health services - we will keep everyone posted on responses.

Happy days...

 

[Lawson58]

i think that it depends how proactive bosses/owners of the business whether carehome or care agency are about training their staff and how much of a priority they think it is.
my own experience - i was paid minimum wage which increase only when the minimum wage was increase. this well below the living wage. i was expected to do everything, personal care and anything that the residents needed including medication administration, cleaning, laundry, cooking, washing-up and clean kitchen, make sure residents are eating and drinking and to write a log of what the residents have done/refused to do, how much eaten/drunk, any medical visits and toilet patterns.
i had 6 hours along with the other carers and its hard work. all that needing training and there is also mandatory training, health and safety, safeguarding, challenging behaviour, infection control, moving and handling properly along with other relevant training EOL, meds admin, dementia and types along with the history of how it was discovered. along with nvq 2 and care certificate that is done in our own time but not a choice. we all had to do it with no exceptions but were still only paid minimum wage even after all the courses i did. i did escorts to medical appts as well so needed to make sure i was up to date.
caring is a vocation as its not for the money. the owner insisted on training otherwise, you didnt get a job. it didnt help that nurses and medics didnt rate carers either.
this was precovid. i left 4 years ago after partial knee replacement after i injured my knee at work. this is my experience and no one elses. what they do in other areas, i dont know.

There are many professions that are considered a vocation and I agree that to undertake these roles you would need a different attitude to someone who was doing other jobs such as retail, hospitality etc. But that is no reason or an excuse to underpay anybody.

I always suspect though that there are many people who work in care homes or as carers because they have practical reasons rather than vocational ones for doing this work. They have few qualification, they can work their shifts around the needs of their families or they can fit in shifts at more than one establishment.

Here in Australia, child care workers often with qualifications are also paid poorly. So if you care for the very young or the elderly, then you simply don’t rate. And shame on us that those who need us most, get least.