Carer Stories

To be a good carer not only do you need the right qualifications and experience but you need the right attitude. We employ enthusiastic and reliable people who, above all else, enjoy what they do.

Ruth, Mike and Annette are all Community Care Workers and are representative of our team. Here they explain what they do and why they enjoy it so much.

Mike’s story…

“I have always had jobs which involve caring for people, it’s what I like to do and I get a great deal of satisfaction from it. Before I came to Victoria Community Care I worked with adults with learning difficulties.

Now, my role involves caring for five gentlemen who all have different needs. They range from younger guys who are paralysed through illness or accident to my oldest client who is 99 years young and just needs a bit of help climbing in and out of the bath.

My first call is at 8am and I work three evenings a week from 7 to 9.30pm plus all day Sunday. It’s a big commitment but it means we build up a good relationship and the client gets continuity because they know it’s going to be me each time coming to help them.

For some clients I help with personal care and medication but I have another client with Alzheimers who loves to go out walking. We go to the park for the afternoon, have a really good walk and then take a break in the café before setting off to walk home.”

Ruth’s story…

“I’ve been a carer for about nine years now; it is something I started once my own family were grown up enough. My rota includes about 10 or 11 men and women, mostly elderly with a range of needs.

For some clients, particularly those with dementia, I might call between 2 and 4 times a day depending on what level of supervision they need to ensure that they have taken their medication.

Most of my clients like a laugh and a bit of a chat and they always know when I am due to call, even those with poor memories seem to respond vey well to the continuity of care that we offer.

My earliest start is a 7.30am call to a lady who I help get ready to go to a day centre. I make sure she is washed, dressed and has had something to eat before her bus arrives.

I absolutely love my job because I think we give people an independent life with just a bit of back up. Sometimes it’s as simple as helping someone to put their socks on but the fact is, they know someone is keeping an eye on them and they have the help that they need.

They say time flies when you’re having fun but it really flies when you are doing a job you love.”

Annette’s story…

“I first did some care work when I was 17 years old as a second job but it was only 2 years ago, after talking to a friend who was a care worker that I decided to train properly and change my career. It is the best thing I have ever done, I love the variety in the job and it is very flexible to fit in around my family commitments.

I work from Monday to Friday mainly in the mornings and at lunchtime. I provide personal care for both ladies and gents, some of whom have Alzheimers and dementia and require assistance with their medication.

Several of my patients are housebound and I do their shopping for them. I call and pick up their list, do the shop and then bring back and put it away. We have an opportunity to have a chat (and sometimes a moan!) about things and that’s all part of the service.

I help one of my ladies with a bath on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and then I blow dry her hair for her. She loves it so much that when I see her on the other days I always do her hair for her and she says it makes her feel so much better – you can’t ask for more job satisfaction than that, can you!”