Team Spotlight: Live-in Care Worker

What is your role?  

 My role is to give 24-hour care to my service users in their own home. I also offer companionship to my service users which is part of being a Live-in Care Worker.  

Can you tell us about your responsibilities of your role? 

Each day is different, but the job mostly includes delivering personal care. As a Live-in Care Worker this is a big part of the job. Other tasks include, medication administration, housekeeping, cooking, supporting my service user to their appointments, spending time together, walking, shopping and just being a good support.  

 What are some of your favourite things to do in your spare time? 

In my spare time, I like to visit my local markets or go for a nice walk. I also really enjoy reading so I like to spend my time deep in a book. I also catch up with my family abroad and speak to them over the phone or on skype.   

What is a day in the life of your role like?  

Working as a Live-in Care Worker can be hard work, but at the end of the day its very rewarding.  

 How did you get into the care industry? 

 When I was young, I was the family favourite for baby sitting and looking after the young children in the family. This is when I realised I enjoyed helping people. Later in life, I helped my mother and stayed with her when she had health issues. Both times helped me realise my love for helping others and I knew I wanted to work in care.  

What skills would you say are key to being successful in this role? 

 To be a great Care Worker you need to be very patient, be great at communicating, have a good sense of humour and be a good friend.  

What would you like people to know about being a Live-in? 

Being a Live-in Care Worker can be emotional and challenging at times but it’s all worth it as it is really rewarding. It’s very important to me to communicate well with the families of my service users as well as with the managers. You also need to make sure you rest between your time at work and do something different other than your every day working routine. 

How are you finding your time at Abbots Care? 

I absolutely love working with Abbots Care!  The team are very supportive which makes it easier to do my job. Communication with the management team and my co-ordinator is excellent. Abbots Care are always fair and understanding. There is a sense of being a team and supportive like a family.