Caregiving: a day in the life

Teresa Booker is a caregiver with Home Instead. She has been working as a caregiver for more than two years, and says it is as rewarding for her as it is for those in her care.

There are different levels of care, from assisting with small chores in the home to personal needs, dementia care and palliative care.

“Every caregiver has different hours, but my working hours start in the morning time. Every client I go to has an individual care plan to meet their physical and social care needs,” said Teresa, who is from Gaybrook, Mullingar.

“By their physical needs, I mean going into their home and assisting them out of bed, maybe a shower, getting them dressed, doing a bit of breakfast for them and making sure that they’re comfortable before you leave.

“We also look after their social needs. A lot of the clients live on their own and they love to chat. They look forward to you coming in and having a chat with them during the morning as a lot of them are on their own most of the day.”

Each call is different

“Some calls can be just a bed bath when people are bed-bound, sheets may need to be changed, or medication given. Other clients who are not so mobile will need assistance with a hoist and we set them up in a chair for the day.”

Teresa makes up to five calls mornings and evenings.

“During the evening calls I would assist people who needed a light snack or meal before getting them settled for bed. I assist with getting them into their pyjamas, and helping them into bed. Some need incontinence care.”

The most important of all needs, according to Teresa, is social interaction. “That physical contact and social interaction, having a cup of tea and a chat with someone is as important for them as having their breakfast,” she said.

“Sometimes you feel they want you to stay longer if you had the time, because it’s that human contact that they value more than anything.

“Many clients can be vulnerable, and if you’re a caregiver with someone for a long time, they trust you. They tell you little worries or if something has been bothering them, and that helps ease the burden on them a little bit.

“Sometimes it can be difficult to leave when you have another call to go to, and the client would like you to stay on. Especially when you build up a relationship with someone that you really like, it can be difficult to just carry on to the next job.

Job satisfaction

“There’s huge job satisfaction, it’s very rewarding because you feel like you’re making a positive impact on the person’s life.

“I also do palliative care and that can be difficult and sad because all you can do is make that person as comfortable as possible, but you know that they are nearing the end of their life. What I find difficult is you develop a relationship with the family of the palliative care client, and you know that it’s one of the most difficult times in their lives.

“You try to spend a little bit of time just chatting with the family, and you have empathy for them because while it’s difficult for a caregiver, they are losing a cherished loved one.

“And of course, when you lose a client that you’ve built up a relationship with, that can be very sad.”

Covid-19

Home Instead supplies Teresa with all the necessary PPE, and she says she and other caregivers do their utmost to keep clients safe.

“We are going into vulnerable people and you’re just hoping that nothing is going to happen to them because of your visit, even though you’re taking all the necessary precautions,” she said.

“Some of my clients, not all, would worry a lot about the pandemic and can be quite anxious over it.

“I would always try and reassure them that we are doing everything possible with regard to PPE and sanitising before we go into the home. And we’re even more conscious of wiping down and sanitising surfaces in their homes because of Covid.

“I try to lighten things a bit too for the one or two who are asking you daily ‘how many are dead’ and, while I don’t ignore it, I try not to go on about it either.

“I try to maybe lighten things with a different conversation or put on a different channel on the TV so the news is not in their face the whole time, because it does take its toll on people’s mental health.

“Most of us are lucky to come home and have our family but some are on their own and have more time on their hands to be fixated on the pandemic.”

Support

“We’re lucky with Home Instead because we have ongoing online training that keeps us up to date with all the requirements.

“And, if there’s ever a problem, we have great back-up with Home Instead – you know you have somebody to call, for instance, if I felt there was something that wasn’t quite right in someone’s home, I would make a care manager aware of it and they will deal with it straight away.

“That helps us as caregivers that you’re not taking everything on your plate. If you highlight something you know that it will be dealt with, so that backup is important.

Relationship

“You build up a bond and a relationship with clients and their families. And they appreciate you coming in to them and helping them, that gives you that little boost you need to keep going with the work.

“It’s the little things that make it all worthwhile. It’s nice to feel you’re making a difference to people’s lives. It’s never a job for the sake of doing something, it’s something that I just really love doing.

“I began working as a caregiver because I had reached a stage in my life where my kids were all grown up. I had always felt caregiving was something I would like to do, and so I talked to a friend about it who is also a caregiver and it went from there.

“Apart from the clients benefiting, I benefit too because I know I’m helping someone. It is satisfying to be honest, because it’s nice to help others and that in turn has a knock-on effect on you, so it works for both

“If it’s for you, it’s just such a lovely job. I think it’s so important when you’re going into people’s homes to have a bit of a laugh and a chat with them, the little bit of craic. It helps them because its light relief for them from sitting on their own all day.

“All of my clients are just so lovely,” said Teresa. “They have great life experience and they love sharing that with you, they love chatting about their past. It’s having contact with somebody that makes their day.

“I have one lady who says to me first thing in the mornings, ‘Have you time to have a cup of tea?’, and that’s even before I assist her out of bed. Sometimes the most important thing is sitting down and having a cup of tea with somebody, having the chat.

“And you know, a lot of us are probably going to end up the same ourselves some day and I would hope that in years to come that someone would be interested enough to talk and listen to me.”