Working in a Residential Home.

loubie_lou

Hi All

I am currently a community care worker with 6 months experience, travelling around a city by car, caring for people, personal care, meal prep etc.

I am coming to the end of my tether with the cost of petrol and keeping my car running, the tiredness, the demands of my care co-ordinator, the 15 hour days and such like.

I have an interview at a residential home tomorrow and I am wondering what to expect. I know the job will consist of similar to what I am doing now, but can people who work in a residential home or who have in the past tell me what working in one is like?

Thanks

hippygran

Different care homes can be very different working environments, and whilst some are good in terms of how they treat staff (and residents), others can be very poor.

As you have experience in the field, I would think you would be very likely to be offered a position, so its really down to whether or not you want to work there.

From a position of employment, I have only worked in 2 residential homes involving the elderly (both emi units), one was very good, the other pretty poor. Although both were OK as employers, the way the residents were treated in the first was pretty poor. (I couldn't stand it - so left after only a few months).

At the interview, keep your eyes wide open, interact with residents as much as you are able (this is something a good employer would be looking for anyway!), don't be afraid to ask questions, also it may be a good idea for you to google the name of the establishment and glimpse through the latest quality care commission report on the home.

Then, if offered a job, go by your 'gut' instinct.

In your role now, YOU set the standard of care to a large degree, and if you find yourself working where standards are quite low, and you are the type of person who genuinely cares for the people you look after, you will find it quite difficult to deal with working in a poorer environment, having to give lower quality care!

It is fairly common to have to deal with low-staffing, and rationing of food and basics such as continent aids on a daily basis at some homes, and believe me this is frustrating and sole destroying.

A good quality home however is a totally different kettle of fish, and you would then be encouraged to offer a high standard of care, and would find the role very fulfilling and rewarding! Working as a team in this type of environment is a definite plus!

Also bear in mind, that no matter how 'posh' a place looks, no matter how high the fees at a particular place, the bottom line is the quality of care they deliver, and many 'cheaper' style homes, can and do actually deliver a far superior service to residents, than some more 'elite' homes.

Bottom line is 'does it feel right'. After 6 months doing this type of work in a community, your initial reaction, is, probably going to be the 'right' one!

Best of luck at your interview

hermum

That will depend entirely on the residential home. I worked in a couple for elderly years ago, one was dreadful as a lot of the staff were bullies to the residents, I didn't last long as after reporting them to management & nothing changing I went via social services.
The work was hard as there weren't enough staff, 4 carers & 1 nurse with I think around 30 residents at least half were nursing. There just wasn't enough time to do everything that should have been done.
The second I lasted 1 night, as the few residents who were there told me what they were "allowed" to do.
I was shown around & then left on my own for my shift, the building was vast & one lady needed the toilet I couldn't find her room in time, when I grovingly apologised to her & started changing her & the bed she informed me that beds & residents weren't allowed to be changed at night & that we would get into trouble. This dear old Lady got herself into such a state for something that was my fault not hers, I had to promise that I would get everything put back away again after laundering it so that nobody would know.
I offered another lady a cup of tea when I went in to check her & saw that she was awake & she said they weren't allowed drinks at night.
Another for Social Services to investigate.
But then I had friends working in others & they were run really well, the staff were all lovely & understood that without residents there would be no job. The residents were treated with respect & dignity as they had the right to be.
I also did community care, this I would have preferred if the co-ordinator had realised that you can't do your 30 minutes job & travel maybe 5 miles through country lanes in the same 30 minutes, without being really late. I used to end up finishing about midnight instead of 10.30 pm & have to be at my first call the next day at 7am. My petrol costs were always covered, in fact I got more back on my petrol allowance then I received in wages.
I would try and find other people who work in care close to you & find out which are the good agencies & care homes as they do seem to differ greatly. If I was going to go back into care work I would prefer community care, as with a good agency you are given the time to do the job properly & make a difference to someone.

loubie_lou

Thanks both for the great replies. The interview I have tomorrow does seem to be a more 'expensive' run property so we shall see