What does a Carer do?
Have you ever wondered if you’d be the right fit for care work? Ready to make the first move into a career in care? Or do you simply want a better understanding of how a carer can help you or your loved one? We’ve shared some insights you may find useful into the day to day life of a carer, and what we think makes a great carer.
So what does a carer do?
Simply put, a care worker performs a range of tasks, depending on the needs of the person they care for. It could be medical assistance, helping out with housework, preparing meals, or just having a chat. The responsibilities of a carer vary significantly, depending on the type of care service they are assisting with and how independent the individual they are looking after is.
What does a live-in carer do?
Live-in carers provide round the clock support for people who need continual assistance with daily activities. This may include tasks such as medication management throughout the day, personal care, meal preparation and support whilst eating, completing housework and companionship. They can cater to a variety of needs, whether it’s looking after someone with complex health conditions, or simply supporting someone with everyday tasks. Abbots Care live-in carers provide 24 hour peace of mind that you or your loved one will always have professional support on hand.
What does an overnight carer do?
Overnight carers provide support for individuals during the night, delivering compassionate care and peace of mind for you or your loved one. This can include medication management, discreet and dignified bathroom assistance and mobility support to ensure people can safely move about their homes at night without the risk of falls or accidents. This type of care can massively improve sleep and quality of life for both people in their care and primary caregivers who may need some respite from caring for a loved one.
What does a Care Worker do: A day in the life
Your day may start bright and early, because some of our care service users need help getting out of bed, dressed and washed ready for the day ahead. You might then help them to prepare breakfast or take medication. Often the people we care for are elderly, or vulnerable and they appreciate your company, so you’ll be doing lots of chatting and catching up too.
On your next visit, you might be helping with the washing up or a quick dust of the sides. Something as simple as a zip around with the hoover can make a huge difference to our service users, who often find tasks like these difficult. As always, you’ll be chatting away, listening and making someone’s day that little bit better and brighter.
Did someone say lunch? Next up you might be helping to prepare a meal or, if the person is bed-bound, you could be turning them to a more comfortable position. Maybe you’ll change a dressing, organise medication or help with laundry.
Later in the day, you could be visiting someone with dementia, so they might need reassurance, guidance and some help with organisation. In these circumstances, a friendly face can help to make sense of the world, so it’s a good job that to those who need us, our care workers are often seen as friends too.
Just before the evening, you could be asked to help turn down a bed, prepare an evening meal, or help the client to use the toilet before settling down for the night. Depending on your role, you may also be asked to assist someone overnight. This could be in the case of providing respite for carers, dementia care, live-in care or overnight care.
Care Worker responsibilities
The duties of a care worker are varied and specific to the person who needs care. However, they could include:
- Personal care such as dressing, washing, lifting and assisting with bathroom trips.
- Medication management or liaising with other medical professionals.
- Practical care including household tasks (hoovering, tidying, dusting, washing the dishes), paying bills and cooking meals.
- Daily activities support including grocery shopping, trips to the bank or days out.
- Safety management including preventing accidents, making the home accessible and dealing with emergency situations.
- Emotional support and companionship.
Care skills: What makes a great carer?
A great carer has more than just care qualifications under their belt. They posses a unique blend of skills and personality traits that empower them to deliver compassionate care that meets the needs of each of the individuals they look after. Some ideal skills we find make for exceptional carers include:
Good communication
This comes in handy for every interaction you will have, whether this is with a service user, or with members of your team. Being able to communicate effectively makes things much easier for everyone, especially those who depend on you for care.
Patience
Some service users require lots of patience because they need additional time to understand or act on things. Having the ability to be patient, whatever the situation, is one of the key care worker skills you’ll need.
A passion for care
If you want to care for people, make a difference and do a good job, then that’s a great start! Because clients depend on their carers to provide help and support, a passion for care helps you to do this to the very best of your ability.
Ability to adapt to change
No two days are the same in care, so the ability to adapt to change is ideal. This will help you to move through each day as it comes, with the changing needs of each and every person you care for.
Sensitivity and tact
Care situations require sensitivity and tact at all times. As a result, it becomes second nature for care workers to always think about the implications of a situation and how best to navigate it.
Respect
Respect for people is paramount in care. Have respect for those using care services, their way of life, their interests, hobbies and wishes, as well as respect for service users’ families and your colleagues.
Empathy
The driving force behind most applications for a job in care, having empathy in abundance is a standard for a fantastic carer.
Eagerness to learn
If you want to understand more about conditions, health care, or just more about how to improve the care you provide, an eagerness to learn fuels this. The more knowledgeable care workers are, the better the care they are able to provide, especially for those with complex needs.
What do Care Workers do at Abbots Care?
Our care workers provide the very best in care to each and every one of our service users. With dedicated in-house training, mentor support and guidance; our care workers are empowered to give their 100% every day. As a result, our services are award-winning, our colleagues are well looked after, and the Abbots Care team continues to inspire the next generation of Care Workers.
Like the sound of working with Abbots Care? For a job with full training, fantastic incentives and pay, browse our open vacancies . Discover more about working with Abbots Care.