We recently spoke to three carers in different parts of the country, of various ages and at different stages in their career. If you are considering a career in home care, you might like to read what they enjoy about caring and how they went about becoming a home carer.
Going Into Nursing
Sabrina has been working for Comfort Keepers for three years. Previous to becoming a home carer, she worked in retail but felt it was time for a change. She spent a few months doing the FETAC Level 5 course full-time through a FÁS scheme before joining Comfort Keepers. The company was recommended to her by a friend and once she was accepted at interview, it was a case of waiting a couple of months until she had received her Garda clearance.
Sabrina is leaving Comfort Keepers now, she has decided to go back to college and has been accepted onto a psychiatric nursing course. Working as a home carer for three years convinced her that nursing was what she wanted to do. She has loved working in a job where she feels appreciated. She works hard, she currently has eight clients that she visits daily or twice-weekly and she also does a lot of covers. A “cover” is when a home carer is on call, ready to go out if another carer is ill, if a family need urgent care for a member of their family or if one of our clients needs additional care.
When I asked Sabrina what she most enjoyed about working as a carer, she replied that she loves making a difference to other people’s lives and hearing positive feedback from clients via the client care ordinators and reviewers. She knows her clients will miss her.
Loves Home Caring
Susan has been working as a homecarer for Comfort Keepers for six years. She previously worked as a carer in a nursing home and when it closed, she spotted an ad for Comfort Keepers in the newspaper, applied and never looked back. She loves meeting her clients, getting to know them, listening to their stories, having a banter, doing a crossword with them. Susan sounds like the type of person who is always busy. She enjoys tidying up for her clients, helping them prepare a meal, dusting and hoovering, ironing their clothes and other light housekeeping jobs. She says her clients always commend her on what she has done and she leaves their homes with a feel good feeling.
Susan recommends home care work to anyone who feels they would like to work with older people. It’s a hugely rewarding career and she enjoys it enormously.
Volunteer Now A Carer
Frances has been working with Comfort Keepers for three years. Before working in homecare, she did volunteer work and being interested in caring, she decided to work for Comfort Keepers as she could complete her training while working and yes, Comfort Keepers subsidised the cost of the training too. Like the others, she enjoys chatting to people, helping them with what they need, and feeling useful. She works approximately thirty hours a week.
Frances is considering going for promotion, she would like to progress to doing reviews, perhaps balancing doing reviews with caring so she gets a mixture.
If you have been thinking of becoming a carer for some time, what are you waiting for? Check out our vacancies and you never know, you may be nominated for the ‘carer of the year’ next year.
