Talking Sense - Volume 45 No 1 Spring 1999
What are the rewards and stresses of working as a professional carer? Jacqueline Galyer went to Sense’s Andlaw House to find out:
A recent Government White Paper ‘Modernising Social Services’ recognises that social care workers ‘are called on to respond to some of the most demanding, often distressing and intractable human problems’. Here, three Sense colleagues talk candidly about their work with deafblind people - Jane Roberts, Area Manager for Residential Services (South West), Liz Hodge, Andlaw House’s Registered Manager, and Adrian Thorne, Social Tutor and shift co-ordinator.
Introducing...
After studying psychology at college, Jane Roberts worked as an Estate Agent before deciding to work with sensory impaired people. ‘I’d much rather have a smile off someone than a telephone call saying the deal is done’ she says now.
Liz Hodge originally trained as a medical secretary before stopping to bring up her family. Ten years ago Liz volunteered on a Sense holiday and had an excellent time so when the opportunity to work for Sense came up in 1994, she applied and is now a Manager. For Liz, her work is like an extension of home life: ‘you worry about the residents like you worry about your own family’ she says. Working at Andlaw has been a positive experience. ‘I absolutely love my work’ Liz says, ‘I should have done it years ago.’
Adrian is deaf and left the Royal West of England School for the Deaf over twenty years ago. He started working at Andlaw in September 1996 after losing his job with the Ministry of Defence due to Government cut backs. Does he enjoy his new career? ‘Yes’ he says, ‘it’s the first time I’ve had responsibility and respect, and I’m in control of the job’.
What attracts Adrian to this work? ‘I enjoy working with deafblind people, helping them to develop important basic living skills, particularly communication’ he says. ‘I use British Sign Language and its good to be able to communicate through sign with both colleagues and some of the residents.’ Adrian also teaches a weekly sign language class for his colleagues.
Qualities and Skills
Working at Andlaw is not like any nine-to-five job; ‘no two days are the same’ Liz says. There is a shift rota and staff also take it in turns to be on call. Even when a shift is over it’s easy to continue worrying about residents, particularly if one of them is unwell or in hospital. ‘Your job has to be a part of your life’ Jane says.
The qualities and skills social tutors need are hard to define, as personal qualities are a vital part of the equation. What do Jane and Liz look for when recruiting? ‘It’s hard to say’ Jane says, ‘but what’s important is the type of person you are. I need someone who can stay calm in a difficult situation.’ All new recruits spend their first few weeks shadowing a colleague. This is an opportunity to find out whether the job suits them. As Liz says ‘you either like it or you don’t, and if a resident can sense a person doesn’t enjoy their work then it can affect their behaviour.’
Deafblind people have very special needs and social tutors need to be caring and understanding - qualities which not everyone has. ‘People who work for Sense are often more sensitive than the average person’ Liz says. A sense of humour is also essential. Difficult situations often arise and as Jane says, ‘you would cry if you couldn’t laugh’.
Patience is another important quality. Progress can be slow and it can take years before achievements are made. Liz has seen residents achieve things she never thought would be possible - activities like abseiling and pot holing. ‘It’s great to see their faces when they realise what they’ve achieved’ Liz says, ‘their smile is the greatest satisfaction of the job’.
Stresses and Strains
All Sense residential services work to both Sense’s Code of Practice and the Registered Homes’ Code of Practice. Health is a big issue and food hygiene, cleanliness of flats and good washing procedures are all very important - staff are trained in all these areas.
These days there is a lot of paper work to deal with. Every detail of a resident’s day and night is recorded - from diet and daily activities to medical needs and specific incidents. As Jane says, ‘care work has become very document-based with continuous reports.’ All three are conscious of the importance of recording information which in itself is stressful. If anything happens a report can become legal evidence. It’s important to ensure procedures are adhered to at all times and that the dignity of residents is maintained in difficult situations while ensuring no-one is put at risk.
Dealing with challenging behaviour can also be stressful. Staff will often ask themselves why did this happen; what did I do wrong; and how could the situation have been avoided? Guilt can creep in. ‘Sometimes I get upset when someone displays challenging behaviour’ Adrian says; ‘I say to myself "something must be wrong"’. In these situations deafblind awareness is very important. ‘It took me a long time to know the residents’ Adrian says. ‘Building good relationships is important, knowing why a resident might get upset and what they like and don’t like.’
Team work is essential for the smooth running of Andlaw. In both the good and difficult times staff draw upon each other for emotional strength and reassurance. All three spoke about the support and encouragement they receive from colleagues and the importance of dealing with problems as a team.
How is the social tutor role different from the family carer?
For most of the residents in Flat 1, it’s the first time they are living independently. It’s often difficult for parents to let someone else take responsibility for their daughter’s or son’s welfare. So, it is important that parents are involved as much as possible and that there is good communication. ‘The relationships between staff and parents is good’ Liz says; ‘we keep parents informed of both the positive as well as the negative’. There are regular telephone calls and parents are invited to open days and special occasions.
Adrian is key worker for two residents and has built up good relations with their families. He is in regular contact with parents, telling them about any problems, new activities and experiences a resident may have had. Adrian feels that families relate to him well because of his own disability and communication needs.
There are significant differences between family carers and professionals. Professionals are paid for the work they do and have the choice to leave the job. At the end of a shift, a professional can go home and escape the stress - which families often cannot do. The team approach and high ratio of staff to residents, enables staff to take short breaks especially after dealing with a difficult situation. The staff level also enables residents to live active and independent lives. As Liz says ‘we’ve got the staffing - we can do it’. Social tutors are also specially trained and are enablers rather than carers in the traditional sense.
And what about relaxation?
Jane, Liz and Adrian all find it hard to switch off. They worry if a resident is ill and often wake up in the night concerned whether this or that has been done. Fortunately, they live in a great part of the country and all enjoy the outdoor life that the nearby beaches and moors can offer. And then there is the reward of knowing that their work is making a difference.
