A day in the life of a Care Assistant
Have you ever wondered what a day in the life of a Care Assistant is like?
There is a lot going on in the day of a care assistant; its never boring!
So much so we are going to run a series of news items describing an average day of one of our care assistants, Joylene, otherwise known as Joy. Not all care assistant’s days are like this. However, we hope by giving you an outline, you will learn more about the role of a care assistant and how much care assistants, like Joy, take pride in their roles.
Joy
Joy has been working as a care assistant for Caremark Cheltenham for the past 16 months. Arriving here from Zimbabwe 2 years ago, Joy had previous experience working as a care assistant in her home town. Her role as a care assistant in Zimbabwe was funded by the church, which in turn was funded by donations.
Joy loves working as a care assistant in the UK; the UK has better funding, resources and technology. When Joy started working for Caremark Cheltenham, she had to have training for the hoists, wheelchairs and beds. This advanced technology is not available in Zimbabwe. Joy found it frustrating in Zimbabwe because patients were unable to be prescribed the correct medicine and hated seeing her clients suffer. As she says “we are all human beings”.
Joy is one of our full-time care assistants and works at least 40 hours per week. This allows her to work a full day but have time off between two shifts to collect her two sons from school, have lunch and spend quality time with them.
Joy’s start to the day
Joy will assist her morning clients out of bed; some don’t have great mobility so use wheelchairs or walking sticks to move about. She will then take her client to the shower – Joy says she always makes sure they have a shower each morning so they feel fresh and clean. Joy will always check the room temperature so when her clients get out of the shower they are not cold. Joy ensures she dries them properly and dresses them.
Joy’s client will then be moved into their lounge, with Joy’s help, and Joy makes sure they are comfortable. Joy will dry their hair, put their compression socks on if required, make them a drink and some breakfast and ensures they take their medication.
Once the client’s personal care is complete, Joy will tidy the bathroom, make the bed and open the windows to let in some fresh air. Joy makes sure her client has plenty of liquids and puts on the TV before she leaves. This will take Joy 45 minutes. Our care assistants, like Joy, work quickly and efficiently, and always take pride in their work.
Next month we will continue describing a day in the life of a care assistant so keep your eyes peeled!
If you are interested in the role of a care assistant, you can find out more information here.