Looking at some of the headlines in the newspapers over the last 18 months we could all be forgiven for thinking that working in the care sector has few benefits. But… they are missing the point.
It should read like this….. dedicated, passionate, caring and committed staff work to better the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in our community, in the darkest hour this country has faced since the Second World War.
Every day will be different, no one day is the same. Yes, the work is challenging but the rewards are golden. A smile from a person with complex needs because you understand them and help them achieve their goals. Or a Great Grandmother who gets to meet her newest Great Granddaughter for the first time because you helped her to stay safe during the pandemic.
Everyone has a story to tell…. But who’s going to listen? You?
Everyone’s life story is a magical, rich tapestry. Your role in this person’s life is to help them make the next patch or help them finish this tapestry on a high. Without you, their story would be lost to the world.
You won’t do this alone either. You have a whole team to back you up. People just like you wanting to make a difference to someone else’s life. People who believe that every person in their care deserves to be respected, treated with dignity and cared for in an individual way. Which will support them when they are at a challenging time in their lives.
You will get all the support you need to meet the challenges of this new role, from induction training to enrichment sessions that will help you navigate the evolving world of care.
When you choose this sector as your new career there is no glass ceiling which will stop you from progressing up the ladder and carving out a rewarding career. There are many paths you can take too, not only caring for someone else, but you can become a leader who will then mould the next generation of carers and set policy and have a voice in changing minds.
Your new career is a multi-discipline role, from helping a person to meet their own best interest to a sing-along on a Saturday night or your very own version of strictly come dancing entertainment show that will wow service users and visitors alike. It will involve complex subjects that will challenge your mind and open your eyes to a whole new world of possibilities for the people you support.
This career will keep you fit as well. You will easily hit 10,000 steps on a shift. You won’t be in an office sitting at a desk staring at a computer screen slave to your emails. It’s about lives and people. It’s about being in an environment which supports a person to be the best of themselves. In a friendly nurturing place, where innovation is promoted.
There are so many different roles in this sector which could appeal to you from chef, producing excellent and tasty meals every day. It could be an entertainment coordinator helping to enrich the lives of those who you’re going to care for. It may be a specialist care support worker to help people with life-changing conditions. There is a role for everyone.
Care is a powerful role in someone else’s life and is a vital sector in the United Kingdom. But I would like to point out how an individual like you can make a big difference to someone else. How? you may ask, and it is simple… by offering a hand to hold when a person is scared, feeling alone or just missing their loved one. By holding their hand, you are showing they are not alone, that someone cares and are here for them. To listen to them and promote their wants and goals.
The rewards, as I said earlier, are golden and I want to take a moment to highlight some of them now. It’s the thank you smile that you get when you’ve supported a person. It’s their infectious laugh that lifts your day if you are finding life hard. Or it’s the way their face lights up when they see you coming towards them.
Care is more than just making sure a person is safe, warm and fed. It is so much more…. it’s about the people. People like you, who have the drive to care for someone else, to put their needs above your own. Who goes the extra mile to help those they care for.
It’s about the people you care for, wanting to make their lives matter. To make a difference so they feel loved, so that they aren’t alone or forgotten. It’s about investing in someone else, being the link between the community where they live and the people you care for, so they still feel part of the wider community.
So why social care? Well, it’s because of the above. It’s about lives and how they matter and how everyone deserves to be cared for when they are feeling vulnerable.
If you are looking for a challenge which will give you the feeling of enriching someone else’s life. Which opens your mind, eyes and keeps you physically fit and where no two days are the same, then stop and take a look at social care. It is time to change the narrative from one of negativity to a positive, life-changing, can-do something.
If this sounds like you, take a look at social care, you won’t regret it.
