Care assistant interview - Claire

We interviewed Claire who has worked our Chichester branch of Bluebird Care for 10 years.

What did you do before you joined Bluebird Care?

I actually worked in a call centre, answering telephones and doing general admin. We got made redundant. One of the colleagues I worked with at that call centre, a colleague who was also my next-door neighbour at the time, was made redundant before I was and got a job with Bluebird Care. She said to me to come on over, and I did.

What is a typical day in your role like?

Generally, a typical day involves meeting my regular customers, getting them up, washed, dressed, administering medication if they’re on medication and if we administer it, breakfast, general housework for them, sometimes I do domestic calls and shopping calls, making lunches, making sure they have plenty to eat and plenty to drink and just generally helping them out as and when they need it. I choose to do morning shifts.

Do you tend to work with the same people a lot or is it varied?

I tend to see the same customers, mostly on a day-to-day basis, but it does vary due to holidays and sickness and where they need more carers.

What do you enjoy the most about your role?

Just knowing that I am helping people. You could be the only person that they see on a day-to-day basis and knowing that you are making a difference to them does make you feel rewarded.

How have you found working in care throughout the pandemic?

No different, really. For me, personally, the only difference is that we now have to wear the face masks. And when the first lockdown happened it was lovely because there was no one on the roads. We have always worn the PPE: the changing gloves, the aprons, has always just been the standard.

What advice would you give to other people considering going into the industry?

Be prepared to work. A lot of people may think that this job is an easy job, but it is not. It can be very long hours. All I can say is be prepared to work at it. It is not what people think it is. It is a hard job and it can be a demanding job but there is satisfaction in this job as well. In this sector, it is important to be hardworking, a people-person, and patient.

Could you tell me a bit about the people you care for?

The majority of my customers I see on a day-to-day basis. Most of them are my regulars. Obviously their lifestyles and their personalities are different, as are their medical needs. The majority of them are very happy-go-lucky people. Most of them are very grateful and some of them like to think of us as a part of their family, especially if we have been going to see them for a very long time. Most of them are just very grateful that we are there to help them. We do have some that can be challenging, but the way I look at that is that it is not always their fault – it could be their condition, especially if they have dementia. You have just got to be very patient with those kinds of people.

Do you have a particular strategy/way of coping with the more challenging clients?

I would say be very clear with them and what you are asking them to do. Be clear and explain what you are there to do for them, especially if they do have dementia and get quite confused. I used to go and see a gentleman with quite severe dementia. You used to have to prompt him an awful lot, especially if you were going out to an appointment. You would have to keep telling him that we needed to be on our way now, but he had his own routine that he wanted to do before we left. You would try and get him not to forgo his routine, but to do it a bit quicker, though not so quickly that he would become frustrated. I had a lot of communication with his family, who used to get quite frustrated with him. You’d have to explain to them that you can’t always rush those things. You’d have to say to him, ‘right, we’ve got this to do. You know what you have got to do, so go and do that now before we leave.’.

Can you tell me a bit about a positive or meaningful experience you have had during your time in care?

I would say that knowing that the customers are grateful is the most positive and meaningful aspect of care work. We have many customers that are very, very grateful and they tell you that constantly throughout the call. Without us, they would either be in a home where they don’t want to be and we’re there to help them, plus their families. Their families are also very grateful and they like to communicate that with us. This isn’t just via the company but directly to us; if we are there while they’re there they do say to us that they are very grateful to us for the help that we are offering.