"Working as a carer, I believe that patience, dignity and compassion are a must for everyone."
Giving a little back
I’m a live-in carer but prior to that I was a freelance designer as well. Having graduated from the Royal College of Arts and selling my art internationally, I’ve started looking after my elderly parents. I would say this was the time when my passion for care started. Looking after them, considering all they had done for me, was a real privilege, that got me thinking that I wanted to give a little bit back. That’s when I moved to Brighton and I took on a care job and ended up doing living care, which I found to be amazing.
Mixing art with care
Specialising in dementia care, I tried using art as a form of expression and connection, taking people to exhibitions or doing some kind of art therapy, allowing them to express their emotions through art. One of the ladies I was caring for, when she was painting, you could see her probably at her best. Having noticed this type of response from her had a massive impact on me, as I felt that what I was doing actually mattered.
Life at Direct Homecare
When I started working at Direct Homecare, I really liked their modern approach to matching clients and carers based on their personalities and preferences. This meant I was assigned to clients who had a creative background, which meant I could use my design background and my training as a carer all wrapped into one. Moreover, when I used to work for a typical agency, I was used to go see about 5 or 6 clients daily, whom with I would spend about an hour. Doing live-in care for Direct Homecare means that I get to spend a great deal of time with my clients and I could truly see what a difference this makes for both themselves as well as for me.
Lucky to be making a difference
Working as a carer, I believe that patience, dignity and compassion are a must for everyone, however matching personalities of carers really matters as well. Truly connecting with a person is so important, and I believe similar personalities really facilitate this connection. If you manage to connect and to feel and see that your work is making a difference, then you are truly lucky.
