So this week has been one of those weeks that have caused stress and unrest within my world of work. I am freelance assessor within the care field and this weeks the company I freelance for may now need to change. It has implications as there is no guarantee the new company will want a freelance assessor so things are a little up in the air.
So what have a been doing to ensure work continues and I earn a living, well firstly I have kicked myself up the arse and pushed for my training to be fully completed with induction and moving and handling so I can go in to companies and train correct practice. I’ve been ensuring all my learners will be ok if I can not continue (I would be gutted). I have been organising the next couple of weeks to ensure I am on target and prepared to move forward.
Saturday I went to an open event at a new care home/nursing home where I chatted to some of the family and clients about why I value care and I loved it just promoting care and training. I met Gloria Hunniford (didn’t feel right to get a selfie).
Sunday arrives (Mother’s Day). My children as alway give me beautiful cards (daughter as always sorted the boys) and flowers. I then spent the day appreciating what I have the sun helped and my wonderful husband to be. Sat relaxing in the garden just chilling looking at our garden and realising how much work we have put in. It was so perfect, birds flitting in and out of the garden and the daffodils swaying in the breeze. The aroma of a roast dinner being cooked by my daughter and a glass of vino. I realised in that moment I am so lucky. I have children I am very proud of, a husband to be who loves me for me and a bright future ahead. Simplicity is sometimes best and as my man would say ‘simples’.
So the point to this was to try to get all to see that sometime ‘simples’ is enough and that if today you are missing your mum, whether due to them not being here anymore or if they are lost in the world of Dementia they will always be you mum, mummy, mother not your best friend your mum the one who either carried you or chose you, they are mums.
Mums come in all shapes and all sizes. They can be mothers, grandmother, aunts, sisters, friends or they can be Dads doing a mums role as well as their own. So please just take a moment to appreciate what you have, had or even what you are going to have.
Happy Mother’s Day one and all. But bigger then that don’t wait just for Mother’s Day to appreciate your ‘mother’ any day is ok to just say thank you.
Today I am sat at home, waiting to do some one to one session with learners (working from home), had appointments booked in but sadly not one completed at the moment and its gone 12:00 (tick tock). However, I have had an interesting call about a new idea for a support site and I am now questioning what I want to do next.
Don’t get me wrong assessing in general is a good job and it fits with my life but like today, I have not had a session completed, sadly people not picking up the phone, no work to mark so in some sense it becomes hard to ensure someone’s learning journey is consistent and meaningful. Commitment sometimes is lacking or schedules change in care and people just don’t let me know.
So I am now sat here thinking (cogs turning, head full).
My ultimate goal was to go…
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Today I am sat at home, waiting to do some one to one session with learners (working from home), had appointments booked in but sadly not one completed at the moment and its gone 12:00 (tick tock). However, I have had an interesting call about a new idea for a support site and I am now questioning what I want to do next.
Don’t get me wrong assessing in general is a good job and it fits with my life but like today, I have not had a session completed, sadly people not picking up the phone, no work to mark so in some sense it becomes hard to ensure someone’s learning journey is consistent and meaningful. Commitment sometimes is lacking or schedules change in care and people just don’t let me know.
So I am now sat here thinking (cogs turning, head full).
My ultimate goal was to go into more training, motivational sessions to get people to buy into the care and how to be the best. I wanted to get a community talking about care but not sure how.
I see the best but some times not the so good (poor practice and care). I set up my Facebook page and this blog to try to get a community talking and sharing their stories but to be honest its not working. Have less then 100 likes on FB page which if you consider the amount of people in care that’s just nothing. Followers on word-press I have 21. Is this because I don’t use profanities, I do a blow by blow log of my day, is it because people just don’t talk about care or is it people in care just don’t have the time.
So where am I going wrong? What do I need to do? Where do I go from here?
Feb 8
This gallery contains 14 photos.
Originally posted on SUSAN and GRUMPY :
Train ride to Leeds began very stressful no parking spaces at station and as we did not no the town we had no idea where the nearest car park was, a very nice guy(railway worker, note to self get people’s names in future ) directed us to a car park…
Jan 2
This gallery contains 5 photos.
Originally posted on Pull up a Chair and Lets Talk Care :
I am sure there are going to be a lot of these predictable new years posts but it has to be done and it has to be done well. So here goes: 2016 what did you give to me. January you gave me a…
I am sure there are going to be a lot of these predictable new years posts but it has to be done and it has to be done well.
So here goes:
2016 what did you give to me.
January you gave me a graduate as my gorgeous daughter graduated from Derby University. A very proud moment.
February was a quiet month but still but I got to sea seals on the beach in Norfolk with my wonderful friend ‘Kinky’ or Kate if you need her real name.
March was a busy time just getting out and about and meeting up with friends.The mask picture was a game of pin the cucumber on the hunk (you had to be there).
April was all about the gardening and family time. The big garden was commenced and a pop to Lowerstoft to see mum and dad.
May the gardening became a massive build or should I say demolition, poor Alan ended up on his back with me giggling. Love continued.
June was all about the queens birthday and a mission to try and get the community together which was not a great success but we had great time with the usual bunch of people.
July was about big weekend, time alone with Cameron in Norfolk, checking out the botanic gardens to see where we will have our wedding photos and then barbecue in the new look garden.
August was a trip to Scotland with some great friends who fell in love with the scenery. We had an amazing week,lucky with the weather and lovely place to stay. It was also the month when cucumbers and tomatoes grew beautifully.
September was a first for me going to my very first festival and then meeting Paddy of Emerdale. The parents visiting which was lovely and I got my heron photo. It was a good month. There was much sadness in September also which a number of my friends had to deal with and they dealt with their sadness with such dignity and strength.
October was a charity event time for breast cancer when planning it I was just thinking back at Valerie the real founder of the title to my blog but then how would I have known it would then be news that would be hard for all with my niece being diagnosed with breast cancer. It was a great night and every penny will count. I then had a visit to bakewell with my lovely friend and her children.
November was a month where things were a little quieter but with a great night thrown in at Gin of the Rocks. Night at the museum and more gardening for Alan.
Now we come to December where we had the best time and the most fun just spending this month with family and friends. So no we have got to 31/12/16 a little poorly so no going out but what I do have is 2017 to look forward to and I can’t wait.
Good bye 2016 and welcome with bells on 2017. We have a wedding, more babies due and people to fight hard to ensure they get well. So positive vibes required and celebrations to be focused on.
Happiness, Health and Love I wish all.
Going to the training tomorrow to try out new approaches to single person care. I have a very open mind 😊😊😊
Well its been a month and a half since I gave up college assessing (it just wasn’t for me), Even though still feel somewhat nervous and anxious, I am now starting to feel motivated. Yes motivated and its not bad. Yes my little monster in my ear still tries to bring me back into a less motivated space or tries to pass on the CBA function. I AM NOT LISTENING!!!!
Anyway I digress… well yes motivation is back and that was helped when I bumped into a manager of one of the very first domiciliary care agencies I assessed in. Well it was a quick catch up (gossip). However, after the brief catch up we went on to talk about care and the impact of double up rounds on the ‘purse strings’. Now we all know cuts are happening (disgraceful cuts) but there is nothing we can do so we…
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It came into my head tonight that there must be a tail or two that care workers could tell us that will shed light on the fun it can be to be a care. Yes its a serious job (I am well aware), but if like me there has been some funny/amusing/amazing/extraordinary experiences that within care then maybe we should share. It’s just a thought. Of cause no identifiable information that would break ‘data protection’ or ‘confidentiality’ but stories that may bring a wry smile to your face or did bring a rye smile maybe even a loud laugh.
My first day as a support worker (18 just left home) gave me a shock, having a lady ask me outright if I had a fanny and the proceeded to say I have ‘see’. Oh and yes she showed me. How I managed to be brave enough to stay I do not know but I did. It still brings a wry smile to me face when I think of her that first moment. Not long after this been told that I would need to practice ducking and I just laughed at that comment not understanding the real implications unit a glass and a table came across the room then I realised ducking was a skill I mastered very quickly. I found myself drawn to the services users who everyone seem to want to avoid as they were deemed as ‘challenging’ and they were but finding a chink in their armour to allow you in was the best feeling and I was lucky enough to be able to do this. So I would watch and observe and move very quickly when another support worker went in feet first with no thought for the persons feelings. They soon learnt to duck.
There have been many of a story that have lit up my smile due to the actual situations I found myself in many of them bodily fluid stories, many of them achievements people managed but many of them were just someone being unique.
If you could see care in colour oh my goodness the rainbow would not be enough.
If you heard it in a sound then it would be all the chords, notes you can think of going of at once.
So what I ask is that you focus on these stories of joy, amusment, uniquiness and inclusion and share them with respect. Remember on the harder days its going to be a better day soon. Think of the colours, think of the sounds and then remember your going home you are just there for a moment in some of the people’s lives so make that moment mean something. Make that time be colourful, make the smile as bright as you can and focus on what matters.
Its a funny as a person who worked in care generally all my adult life and now work as an assessor/trainer in Health and Social Care, I sometimes think where is the care. Its strange but there are people that are working within care because ‘it fits’. Is this really the reason we want people looking after our loved ones, for me I am not sure.
I’ve questioned this before and as much I don’t want people to choose working in care for this reason solely it is a reason and justified ‘fits’ means ‘of a suitable quality, standard, or type to meet the required purpose’ so actually not a bad definition. We all have life’s and we all have people we may have to take responsibility for and working in an industry that can allow us to be flexible surely is an OK reason to work in care. Its more suitable or acceptable to use the above words of I work in care to care for people. Its sounds all rose coloured and pretty don’t you think?
Now this is where I want to bring in Care and the meaning of care ‘he provision of what is necessary for the health, welfare, maintenance, and protection of someone or something’ so in actual fact not massively far removed from ‘fits’. I can get by thinking when someone says fits are they thinking of quality (see definition) surely they are! Also ‘required purpose’ which could be to deliver best practice care.
Sadly and here I go fits is just not for me. When I interview someone please don’t tell me you reason for applying is to say it fits with childcare and that’s your reason. I know its important but surely the reason should be about the practice of care. I meet carers within my job and at present I have to say I am lucky to have a great group of Learners who yes need it to ‘fit’ but through that I can see they are choosing ‘care’ to provide a service that is of quality.
So please think of your reason for going into the care industry, public opinion maybe that its ‘wiping and cleaning people’ but I promise you its so much more. Yes it can ‘fit’ but its so much more then that, it should be an honour to provide support to someone who can’t or struggles to complete everyday task. Its about well being, its about people, its about progress, rehabilitation, its about end of life. So please think long and hard before choosing care as a career. Please don’t choose it just because you can.
What can I say I’ve neglected my blog, just seems less time to think and write. However, have been to Scotland and then to my very first festival. Also lots of work in the garden at weekends but clearly not in my 20’s or even 30’s for that matter as I ache.
So Scotland was amazing, beautiful as always I love it. One day we will be moving to Scotland but for now its enough to visit just wish time would allow us more visits.
The festival not even sure what to say, I last 45 years not going to a festival and then I went. Well it was great fun but camping is not for me. Embrace were fabulous and it was a nice surprise meeting the stars of Emmerdale. Paddy we loved him.
Then the gardening well lets just say we have done wonders and we still have more to do, lots of trips to the tip.
Save the dates have nearly all gone out. Wedding 2017!
Now to work well Assessing is good, my contact with some lovely learners make it easier to do my job. As usual paperwork and politics always have a negative baring on how much you enjoy your role. Still for me if I can impart one piece of information to enable someone to do their job better and then ultimately the care should be better.
No I am going to set myself a task that by the end of the year I will have completed a well being week. I want to do this and was suppose to do it in August but time and other commitments placed it on a back burner. What I ask myself is why did I not find the time? I placed well-being second and I need to address the balance.
So I will do and I will ask for stories to be shared regarding well being and mental health. Trying to lift the darkness on being able to talk about suicide is my aim.
So until then hope all are well and those carers out there are keeping themselves well.
Love long love strong and hold tight things sometimes will seem unbearable but please talk, chat, open up, share and most of all if your a person who is been told ‘LISTEN’
