Domiciliary Care Worker: A Day in the Life

If you could lift people’s sprits, just by showing up for work, would you do it?

That’s literally what a domiciliary care worker does.

But let’s delve deeper. Imagine knowing that your presence in someone’s life had a profound impact; offering independence, dignity, and friendship.

For Anna, it’s all in a day’s work.

“I go door-to-door supporting different service users with different needs. Normally between 8 – 12 per day” says Anna.

Inspired by her experiences supporting her grandparents with dementia, Anna opted to pursue a career in the care sector, choosing local care service provider, Abbots Care.

But her decision wasn’t purely practical. Like all domiciliary care workers, she was driven by compassion.

“I realised that so many people need help with everyday living, and wanted to be a part of that, and help as many people as possible.”

See? Compassion.

But how is this compassion spent, exactly? What do domiciliary care workers do?

According to Anna, individual demands may vary, but a typical day involves providing similar types of support for care service users.

“In the morning we’re normally supporting to get the service user out of bed, helping them to get washed and dressed, then giving them breakfast.” Says Anna. “Lunchtime is normally supporting with toileting and preparing food, and then it’s teatime, which is usually the same.

But, dependent on shift, the day can also include assisting service users whilst they get ready for bed; helping with toileting and required fluids, as well as administering medications.”

‘Support’ is a common word in Anna’s descriptions. And for good reason.

Indeed, domiciliary care worker duties are geared toward empowering service users, rather than living their lives for them. Think of it as… an extra pair of hands, gently helping to steer the day.

But it’s more than merely supporting with daily tasks. For Anna, companionship forms an important part of domiciliary care work; perhaps even the most important.

To myth-bust for a moment, domiciliary care work isn’t just an iterative process of moving from one service user to another, ticking off tasks as completed.

No. It’s so, so much more than that.

It’s knowing what’ll make someone laugh when they’re feeling low. It’s offering a sympathetic ear when they’re anxious. It’s caring; in the truest sense of the word.

The phrase ‘what is a domiciliary care worker?’ is amongst the most Googled in the field of health and social care.  And, truthfully, there’s no one-size-fits-all-answer.

It’s about flexibility and compassion. It’s about support and understanding. It’s about friendship.

And when a day in the life of a domiciliary care worker is done?

For Anna, it’s time to relax and recharge; filling the tanks to spend another day uplifting those around her.

“I tend to watch a wicked series on Netflix to unwind. Or relax in a hot bath.”  I think we can all agree that it’s well-earned.