I have assumed various roles as a caregiver. I worked for a company, offered private care, and helped care for my mother, who has Alzheimer's. Caregiving comes naturally to me and is quite rewarding.
I lived with and cared for my grandfather for a brief period before he was placed in residential care.
During my visits to my mother, I also spend time with the other residents. One of them, in particular, always waves me over for a big kiss. He hugs me warmly and calls me his darling, to which I reciprocate with a smile.
I have observed that in care companies, caregivers are often rushed and not given enough time for each appointment. Most of the time, travel time is not allocated, which leads to constant catch-ups, tardiness, or a rush. This also means that you cannot sit down and chat with people, know who they are, discover their likes, or find out what makes them smile.
I am single and live with my four dogs. I run my own technical authoring business. However, as a result of a tumultuous relationship, I lost many of my clients and am now slowly rebuilding my business.
I enjoy cooking, baking, being outdoors, trying new things, and listening to music, especially music from the 30s, 40s, 50s, etc.
Being able to help someone and spending time to show compassion, kindness, and support is truly fulfilling. It's heartwarming to know that I can make a difference.
I have experience in looking after adults with special needs, my mum has Alzheimer's and i helped care for her until she went into a care home. I regularly visit her and get her to engage with me as much as possible, from doing jigsaw puzzles, bouncing a ball, singing etc, engaging her in activities is essential.
I also when there make sure that i interact with the other residents and chat to them.
With mums Alzheimer's you have to have patience with her when she talks as she is not always able to complete a sentence, and she is losing the ability to say words now and it is just dddd...ddddd. So ensuring she is given time to say what she is trying to is essential.
Caring for others is something that comes naturally to me. I have worked for care companies in the past, but it was not for me. They did not give you the necessary time needed to travel between jobs and it meant that you were unable to spend the quality time with the people and playing catch up all night.
I have also previously helped an elderly lady for a couple of hours each week, this was helping around the house, going shopping with her. Whilst working for her, she had a knee operation, which meant i went on a daily basis to help her get out of bed, washed, dressed and helping her with her meals.
Caregiver / Companion, Home Support Worker