Are you thinking of caring as a career? Are you wondering if you have the right qualifications? If you read on you will see that while our carers do have to undertake training with us (we subsidise the cost), the main qualities for being a good carer are being caring, kind, a good communicator, practical, observant, punctual, conscientious and capable.
Some of our 1200 carers share why they enjoy their careers as home carers so much.
Siobhan: When I asked Siobhan what she enjoyed most about her work, she just sighed happily and said “I love it”. She enjoys meeting older people, feels it is a privilege to see them each day, loves seeing them relaxed and happy in their own homes. She really enjoys listening to their stories, feeling part of their day and their lives. Siobhan said that the hour she spends with them passes as fast for her as it does for the client.
Maria: Maria provides her clients with a mix of personal care and companionship. She corrected herself when describing them as clients as to her, they are not clients, they are her friends. Maria has plans to go on to college to do nursing, convinced that her experience of being a home carer will provide her with many advantages in her training.
Patricia: It is clear that Patricia loves her caring role “I don’t see it as work,” she said. She loves visiting her clients, making a difference to their day, helping them with their personal care and retaining their dignity. She mentions being saddened by the death of a client some time ago; she had looked after the lady for four years and found the back-up support from her team to be amazing. Comfort Keepers also makes bereavement counselling available to carers if they would like to avail of it.
Breege: Breege provides home care for five clients Monday – Friday. She spends an hour with each client – providing personal care, helping to prepare meals, bringing them items from the local shop, chatting to them, listening to their stories. Breege feels very strongly that elderly people gave their lives for this country, they kept it going through the bad times, through wars, recessions, progression, and she feels she is giving each of them back something in return, something small but important nevertheless. It was clear that she enjoys spending time with each and every one of them.
Moyra: Moyra says that one of the reasons she loves caring is that her clients are always glad to see her. She enjoys spending time with them and genuinely enjoys their company. Depending on the person and their needs on that particular day, she says they might just sit and chat or they might go to the shops. On other days, they might read the newspaper together and discuss the various stories or do the crossword. With some clients, she prepares them a meal or helps them with personal care. Moyra ends by saying that her job really makes her feel appreciated so every day has a ‘feel good’ factor to it.
Home Care Vacancies
If that has convinced you that home caring is a rewarding career and you feel the time is right to train and work as a home carer and you feel you have the attributes of being caring, kind, intuitive, sensitive, punctual, reliable and perhaps with previous experience of caring, do have a look at our Vacancies page. We have many vacancies in our various offices so do get in touch.
