Would You Like A Change in Career? What About Home Care?
Some of these situations may describe yours. These are the common lifestyles for many of our homecarers working for Comfort Keepers, or they were before they started working.
- Have you always wanted to work as a nurse or in healthcare? Are you fed up of your current job and would like a change? Our winning Carer of the Year in 2015 worked in a factory for many years before deciding on a career as a home carer.
- Are your children in school? Would you like to work part-time so you can work when they are in school and be home for them in the afternoons?
- Would you like to work full-time hours but not necessarily 9-5? Maybe working one or two weekdays plus weekends would suit you best?
- Are you a student? Would you like to work in healthcare in the evenings and at weekends? Many of our homecarers are students, including Mosunmula who was a finalist in our Carer of the Year awards. She is in her final year of studying social care and works weekends and evenings.
- Are you retired, active and would like to work again? Yet again, one of our Carer of the Year finalists, Michael Dempsey, fits that category. Not only does he work full-time but he’s so good at it, he was a finalist in 2015. If you are caring and active, home care could be the perfect new career for you.
What Working in Home Care Involves
If you’re not sure what home care involves, do read on to get an idea but it’s also a good idea to chat to someone who is working as a homecarer or give us a ring in the office nearest to you. The work can vary from client to client – some will require help with personal care, some will need assistance with light housekeeping, some will want companionship and help with the daily crossword. Every day, every visit and every client are different but all homecarers have to be trustworthy, kind, caring, reliable and professional.
- You will clock in and out as you arrive and leave your client’s apartment or house. Being punctual is important. Depending on whether it is a city or rural location, home carers drive, cycle, walk or take the bus to travel around.
- You will be providing light housekeeping such as changing the bed, cleaning the bathroom, washing the kitchen floor or helping to prepare lunch.
- You will be assisting the client with their personal care, for example, bathing, dressing, toileting, grooming and oral hygiene.
- You will help to ensure that a client’s nutritional needs are being met – these can include tasks such as helping to prepare meals, planning meals, tidying up after a meal.
- You might accompany your client on a walk to the park or around their garden or sit and do the daily crossword with them for a while.
- You may be reminding clients to take their self-administered medication.
- You will be observing and reporting any changes in the client’s condition to your supervisor.
- You will be establishing and maintaining a good and professional relationship with clients and their family members. You’ll find that you will get to know them all really well.
- You will be ably supported by your supervisor and all the office staff.
- You can complete your training with Comfort Keepers over a time period of two years, we provide funding for up to 80% of the training cost.
- After time, you may be promoted to other roles within Comfort Keepers if you would like that opportunity.
Our homecarers love their work. When speaking to them and asking what they like best about their jobs, the answer always revolves around “I like seeing them smile when I walk in the door”, “I love talking to and working with older people” and “I enjoy treating them like they are my parents”.
Vacancies in Home Care
We currently have a number of vacancies in our seventeen offices around the country. We are looking for more excellent people to be our homecarers. You can search on our careers page by filtering for your region or area and seeing what jobs are available. Remember to check back weekly as this page is updated frequently. If you’re looking for a new career in 2016, do act now and in the new year and we’d be delighted to hear from you.
