Full Range of Care
There is a wide choice of opportunities in the world of care - it is not just one job or role.
The following will give you some idea of the breadth of opportunity, but even this list is just a start point.
Care Worker
The care worker role is the one most people think about when considering a care career.
However, this is more than one role. Caring for the disabled is not the same as caring for the elderly.
There are many types of disability from learning disabilities to physical impairment and from those disabled at birth to those disabled as the result of accident or disease. All have their own special challenges.
Caring for the elderly is also not one job, but many. The challenges of assisting an elderly couple are not the same as for an individual. An elderly widower will present different challenges to an elderly widow.
Add to this mix individual personalities and you quickly see how challenging and varied the role of the care worker is.
With elderly people there is no getting away from the fact you are managing an end of life journey. However, by enriching the person's life, by making it easier and often possible, the rewards are great.
The job satisfaction that comes from the gratitude of the people being supported really makes the job worthwhile.
Complementary Therapist
If someone is living with a disability at any age of their life, drugs often come with the territory. Often they are a necessary evil making a severe condition tolerable, but bringing with them unwanted side effects.
Complementary therapies can reduce the need for drugs and alleviate side effects when needed.
Examples of complementary therapies include:
- Acupuncture
- an ancient Chinese technique using needles to alleviate pain - Aromatherapy
- use of oils and aromas to aid relaxation and sleep - Reflexology
- form of gentle massage used to relax muscles and alleviate pain - Homeopathy
- using natural substances to treat physical and mental health problems - Hypnotherapy
- uses hypnosis to treat depression, anger, phobias and addictions - Massage
- using a variety of physical techniques to promote relaxation and relieve pain - Meditation/Mindfulness
- methods to assist relaxation and improve concentration and reduce anxiety - Yoga
- a gentle form of physical exercise that increases physical strength and range of movement
Counsellor
Often when facing new challenges in their lives it can be very useful for people to talk to someone who does not judge them, but can help them see things in perspective and work out how best to deal with things.
This may be someone suffering disability from age, or accident, or disease. It may be someone who has just lost their job or has been unemployed for too long. Perhaps the person is recently bereaved, or just unable to cope for a variety of other reasons.
Whatever the need, the counsellor is there to assist the individual to make sense of the situation in the context of their own life - and move on.
Housekeeper
For people suffering from mobility issues through age or disability, the challenges can be more than just dressing or washing themselves. The physical demands of doing basic cleaning chores to maintain a home can be just too much for many.
It is often not thought of as care, but housekeepers perform a vital role. Having a clean and tidy environment and clean clothes can often be the difference between someone wanting to live or not.
Housekeepers work alongside care workers to establish the balance in someone's life that allows them to have as normal an existence as possible - despite the physical challenges they face.
Personal Assistant
Personal assistants help those with limited physical capabilities maintain an independent existence for much longer.
They provide support for shopping expeditions for food, or even clothing.
Personal Assistants can also help with the management of affairs - including representation for minor disputes with service providers.
Rehabilitation
If someone has recently been discharged from hospital they may be sent home disabled, or so weakened they are, in effect, disabled.
The rehabilitation team are there to help people accommodate the new situation and build up strength to carry on.
Often this work is a combination of structured physical challenges combined with friendly encouragement.
This is important work as temporary disablement can often lead to permanent disablement without the right amount of rehabilitation support.
