Morning everyone, on this cold and frosty morning (bbbrrrhhhh). I have just started a brand new job in a brand new care home (opened November last year) as a care assistant. I have never done this job before but have done some online training, attended face to face training and am now shadowing my colleagues. I have never washed anyone before (personal care) in my life and the thought of cleaning someone's dentures scares me. I am keeping my head down and doing anything the unit manager tells me to do, from laying the dining room table, changing beds, loading the dishwasher and providing refreshments. When the home is full, I hope to apply for the position of an activities co-ordinator/Lifestyle Coach (which is the job I was doing previously in a dementia home) The Manager is aware of this and took me on, on the premise of this, but suggested that I join as a care assistant so I fully understand how care homes operate. Which I personally feel is a good idea. Of all the residents we have so far (just 5 at the moment), we have one lady that has dementia and I fulfil my day making her day special. I believe that being in the dementia field is my passion and I know I can make a difference. So today, if anyone has any tips/guidance/advice on how to keep going and getting to grips with being a care assistant until my dream job comes (activities), please reply. Love to hear from you all. xxxx
NEW CARE ASSISTANT JOB - Need tips/guidance/advice
- Thread starter Living Doll
- Start date
Glad you've got a new job @Living Doll. I think starting as a carer will really stand you in good stead as you work towards becoming the activities co-ordinator.
Looking forward to hearing how it all goes.
Looking forward to hearing how it all goes.
Hello @Living Doll
Good to see you on a new thread
Your previous thread was quite lively with us all chipping in with suggestions about what activities you could do with dementia residents!
I hope you get some suggestions and advice - I know there are a few people who have worked in care
Let us know how it goes
xx
Good to see you on a new thread
Your previous thread was quite lively with us all chipping in with suggestions about what activities you could do with dementia residents!
I hope you get some suggestions and advice - I know there are a few people who have worked in care
Let us know how it goes
xx
I have done lots of personal care but that doesn't mean there isn't lots of it I haven't done and am daunted by. I find feeding people particularly taxing. I've never taken anyone's dentures out either. Personally though, I think it's fantastic that you are seeing different aspects of the work. One of the activities people at the care home where Mum is seems to have very little idea about dementia. And I want to bring my Mum round to your home. Because the more residents to staff there are, the more the care gets diluted. Sounds like your residents are getting a great deal at the moment. Interesting, as I've been wary of sending my Mum to a brand new home, thinking it means a lot of people not knowing what they are doing.
Well done @Living Doll - I’m so glad to hear you’re still pursuing ur passion 🥰🥰
I think you will be super - u will soon get used to washing people. The carers at mum’s home are excellent. I think it is attitude which is the most important. They care, they show appropriate affection, they use humour, they respect……if you show these qualities….which I am sure you will do….you will be doing a fab job. Hopefully you will be able to move to the activities job soon.
being a new home you also have the opportunity to create that can do culture which wasn’t so much there in ur previous job - hopefully colleagues will also be enthusiastic and u will develop into a great team.
my mums home has it - so it can be done 👍👍👍
I think you will be super - u will soon get used to washing people. The carers at mum’s home are excellent. I think it is attitude which is the most important. They care, they show appropriate affection, they use humour, they respect……if you show these qualities….which I am sure you will do….you will be doing a fab job. Hopefully you will be able to move to the activities job soon.
being a new home you also have the opportunity to create that can do culture which wasn’t so much there in ur previous job - hopefully colleagues will also be enthusiastic and u will develop into a great team.
my mums home has it - so it can be done 👍👍👍
Thank you for your comments. I too believe that starting my new career as a carer gives me a great start and something new and positive to focus on. Just hope the activities co-ordinator job pops up soon as there is a need for it in my new home.
Thank you for your love and support. I have now completed my “Shadow” Shifts and now can go it alone, well with supervision of course.
I am delighted to say that a lovely resident allowed me to clean her up after going to the toilet. Without being rude, it was a number 2 and quite a lot of it.
I was surprised, I took to it like a duck to water. Even putting her incontinent pad on afterwards was so straightforward. I was so happy with myself, it made me smile. I was so so worried and after all it was fine.
I followed your advice about attitude and included humour whilst carry out this task and at all times gave her my professional love and attention.
As you say, being a new home with few residents creates a culture of “can do” and with that in mind, I helped the housecleaning team mop all the floors and hover the new carpets. They were very impressed with my attitude - Great teamwork.. I am hoping my enthusiasm rubs off on everyone and we create one of the best homes ever.
Thank you for talking and sharing with me.
I am sadened to hear that the activity co-ordinator at your care home is not familiar with dementia. Makes me wonder how she got and is doing the job.
This knowledge, well in my opinion is “key”, it makes such a difference to engagement and stimulation.
Having this training and gaining knowledge (and using this forum) made me deliver the best possible meaningful activities ever.
I just can’t wait for this new home that I am working in to advertise the activity co-ordinator job, so I can make a difference to everyone’s lives and take this role on.
Still dreading having to take care of dental hygiene, but I guess, once I have done it, it will be fine. I think I will ask tomorrow if I can do this, just to get it over with (if you know what I mean).
I am more than satisfied with the training I have received at my new care home. The training was intensive and then followed up by online training and assessments. I feel like I have gone back to the education system! Having said that I feel great!!!! And so happy about what I am doing and where my career is leading to (providing I get the job I want – hee).
Keep in mind as you may wish to change to "activities" that such things as art etc are part of everyday life. Maybe one of your patients used to draw find a little way to bring that back to life. Little one one one as you find out about another interests. You may find that because of you own n grater knowledge that you have a greater impact on an individual on a daily interaction. Keep your mind fluid and full best at the new job .!!
Great advice, I will certainly keep my mind fluid and open! I totally agree, art is a great way of expressing oneself. Have started a new notebook and am jotting down right now to include "art" as an activity when I move over to that job. I am using this valuable time now to talk to the 7 residents we have (66 when full) to establish exactly who they are and what drives them/inspires them. Keep up the suggestions and advice. Enjoy the weekend. I am off to work, starting my shift at 2.30pm today.
Hello everyone. I am back again. I am still working in my care home learning the ropes as a carer, but yesterday I got invited to take over all the activities in the afternoon on a temporary basis. So so excited. Still waiting for the Lifestyle co-ordinator job to kick in, which hopefully i will secure in the future, but I can wait. Can any one answer a quick question please. Let me explain. I was playing "Ludo" (as per the residents request) and a lady with dementia kept waving her hands and knocking all the counters off the board onto the floor and also throwing the dice wherever she could. I encouraged her not to, but she continued, held her hands and stroked them and asked my colleagues to distract her and give her something meaningful to do (which they didn't - they left her with me). I did the best I could but it was hard work. So my question is, what should i have done so everyone was having a good time (myself included).
living doll nice to here from you again. i have alzheimers and you don't that will never change in your career. but you are learning that alz. reality is so unpredictable and that is emotionally hard to wrap ones head around. its unfortunate that the other staff didn't step in to help you. simple removal to a much simpler activity or none at all for the moment but with out other help with other alzies to deal with makes your new situation extremely frustrating. i hope you get better help from the other staff. your doing a good job and we need people like you desperately even if some days you may wonder why you are in this job. don't worry you will never be bored us alzie folks will make sure of that....
@Living Doll as @Watson1 said i am not sure that there was anything that you could have done, you did the right thing in asking your colleagues to distract her. It might be an idea to ask the other carers if there is something that this lady enjoys to see if you can engage her in that way in future.
Lovely reassuring words. Thank you very much. I will talk to my colleagues and explain that I need them to assist me, so everyone has a wonderful day. I love going to work and know in my heart I am doing a good job, but know I can always do better. Hope you are well and have enjoyed the beautiful sunshine today, what a glorious day.
Thank you for replying to me. I am disappointed that my colleagues didn't respond to my request. I had read the care plan and knew this individual used to love housekeeping and with that in mind, i also asked the housekeeping assistant as she passed by my table if she needed some help (which I had approval from my manager to ask), she just said, "nah.....going home in 15 mins". Not very happy with her response. I felt abandoned, but happy that I controlled the situation. I think I will need to readdress this tomorrow when i am back in, as it isn't fair all round. Later on that evening, this same individual helped me lay out all the tablecloths for supper and put the napkins out, it was so much fun (but I can't do everything by myself as much I was like to). Any other tips for me will be greatly received xxx
It's lovely reading your posts, keep up the positivity, and if I can offer any advice, I'd say keep in mind that each person is different with regards to what they enjoy and don't, and even that can change moment to moment: with Alzheimers/Dementia you have to expect the unexpected and remain open to their responses both verbally & with body language. Sometimes they won't be able to/want to complete the activity in a normal way, but a little creative thinking, humor and stepping into their world a bit can still produce smiles & giggles or at least make them feel relaxed and like they are doing something right.
Living doll you deserve all the support you get for doing the great service you are supporting. i know we talked about art in your work it may amuse you that i currently amy showing a series of painting about the distruction in ukraine and earlier works about 35 in all. my wonder full wife helped with a lot of the communications that my alzy brain couldn't handle. hail to care givers all. happy spring its about 30 degrees f but sunny her e in vermont with snow expected in the next couple days. be well keep shining always nice to follow your journey
