Entrusting the care of a loved one to carers…

A heartfelt blog post by Pam, support worker at Summerwood care home:

I was thinking about what to talk about on our company blog. I could have written something funny or about an interest that I have.  But instead I thought I would share something.

I have a brother who is four years older than me who has a learning disability.  Since I was a little girl I have always been very protective towards him.

I have worked in care for over 30 years now, and so I have seen almost all there is to see from the care provider’s perspective.

Recently I have found myself having to stand up for my brother once again.  It has helped that I have the knowledge of how things are done from a care provider’s side.

This has made me stop and think!

We provide care for residents to the best of our ability and I think we all do an excellent job.  But, there is something very special about the support of family, especially a parent.

Sometimes we [carers] need to remember even more how precious those we support are to their families.

Sit back and reflect on how difficult it is to hand over the care of that person to complete strangers.

Families often find it difficult and feel guilty that they are unable to provide the care themselves. So, when you have contact with a family member that seems overly anxious or seems to be asking for the impossible, bear in mind:

How would you cope with handing over the life of a family member to people you don’t know?

How do we help promote confidence in us and what we do as a provider?

— Pam, Support Worker, Summerwood care home, Hants.

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Huge thanks to Pam for sharing such a heartfelt and insightful post with thoughts which are deeply personal to her and so valid. In fact, what Pam eludes to is that we, as a provider of care, are in a hugely privileged and responsible position of trust.  Trust between the family, the individual and us. We consider that trust to be a circle which must never be broken.

Trust underpins the essence of care.

Families are our partners, and we theirs.  We joined John’s Campaign (click HERE to read a Guardian newspaper article on their success) to deepen our commitment to the loved ones of those we support, and were delighted to be featured in their blog.  Please take a moment with a cuppa to read our post: Family Friendly, What Does it Mean? where we share ways in which we encourage and nurture close partnerships with families.

‘No-one knows an individual as well as those closest to them.’

— Jane Montrose, Managing Director, Apple House care homes.