Struggles with working within a care home

Hi,

I would be interested to know some coping strategies/ have some emphathy from like minded people who understand

I was in a care work role but i have found that my black and white thinking has caused me to struggle. I think particularly i find the job hard to get my head around because in the training they set the expectation bar so high. Then in the work place it is nothing like it. In my experience i was very isolated and had people refusing to work with me because i kept on wanting to stop the institutionalised routine of bed turns and attend to a lady who needed a bed pan. I found it upsetting and confusing that we made the person wait when they needed to go then, to complete the bed turns. I also found the drinks round impossible because i wanted to ensure that the drinks were hot and individually made and did not want to just give everyone juice or warm tea because i wrestled with this not being person centred.

if the training had just been honest and said look, just do your best. Where possible try to attend to individual needs but in reality when there are staff shortages it is more important to get the turns done and fluids given so it is ok to compromise on value then i would find it much easier. 

I find it very difficult because i feel like i am not having integrity, being honest with myself if i do it like everyone else because i can see that it is not the best care. 

Has anyone else experienced this conflict. How did you deal with it?

Parents
  • Welcome to the real world.

    I once worked as a support worker in supported housing for adults with multiple physical and mental disabilities.

    I never got any training, it was just learn on the job by shadowing existing staff.

    Hot drinks were cooled by pouring in cold water and testing the temperature with your finger.  I may not be the most hygienic person, but I considered that disgusting.

    Toileting requests near the end of a shift were ignored, so the next shift would do the dirty work.

    In the end I was fired for being incompetent and totally unsuitable for this kind of work.

  • Hi Robery,

    Thank you for sharing.

    How did this make you feel Robert? What conclusion did you come to?

    Have you ever looked back at health care or have you decided it is the wrong kind of work for you

  • In hindsight, it is the wrong kind of work for me.  And it was for most of the people there.

    My reasons for getting that job in the first place were many and complicated, I won't bore you with the details 

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