I can hear my alarm clock ringing and jump out of bed. Just time for a quick bit of breakfast, a drink and to get freshened up and dressed…I need to be leaving the house at 6.15am.

It’s a 10 minute drive to my first call at 6.30 and I like to be a few minutes early, makes for a good start to the day!

I let myself in using the key from the key safe and check that all is well (if I’m on a double handling call I wait outside for my partner to get there, that’s the rule). I check the care plan after an initial greeting to the service user (I must read it every time I go as things so often change) and then I set about my tasks…..

As this is a morning call I assist the service user to the bathroom (this lady is already up but some of my other service users stay in bed until I get there as they need a little more assistance). From now on I’m going to call my service user Mrs A for ease of writing…

I assist Mrs A to use the toilet safely and to have a fully body wash, Mrs A likes to wash the bits she can reach herself and I assist with the more difficult to reach parts of her body. Mrs A needs a full strip wash every day but sometimes

I can persuade her to get into the shower (her care plan states she has a shower or full body wash every day), I encourage her to have a shower as often as I can. Either way, I must assist to ensure Mrs A is fully dried everywhere and apply her moisturiser and barrier creams as required. Mrs A sits on the toilet seat at the side of the basin whilst she has her wash as there isn’t sufficient room in the bathroom for a separate stool or chair. This way, Mrs A can stand up and support herself using the wash basin whilst I ensure she is clean and dry.

I talk to Mrs A whilst carrying out tasks and reassure her the whole time I’m there.

To help respect privacy I cover Mrs A up with a towel as much as I can while I’m carrying out personal care and I take her clothes through into the bathroom before we go in (as per the care plan) so that I can assist her to get dressed and ready for the day whilst we’re in there.

After getting dressed I assist Mrs A back to her chair, assist her to sit down and then switch the tv on for her, she likes the tv on whilst she eats her breakfast. I go into the kitchen and prepare some breakfast and a warm drink, place it all on a tray and take it back through to Mrs A, I pull up her trolley and place it on there and ensure Mrs A is sitting comfortably and can reach her food….

Mrs A deals with her own medication so I don’t have to do anything with that other than remind her to take it in line with the care plan. I do check she is wearing her life line pendant as required though.

I monitor Mrs A eating her breakfast whilst I ensure her property is tidy, I’ve already placed her incontinence pads in a plastic bag ready to take them out to the bin so I take them out and dispose of them as required. I then make the bed, ensure the bedroom and bathroom are left tidy and then go through to the kitchen again. I wash and dry the pots, put them away and empty the kitchen bin.

By this time Mrs A has finished eating her breakfast so I take the tray through to the kitchen and tidy her breakfast pots up too…

I fill in the journal sheet in the service user file with details and time of the call, I must remember to record everything I have done, I continue to chat with Mrs A and check she is safe & well, still wearing her pendant and doesn’t need anything else before leaving. I then say goodbye and lock the door on my way out, returning the key to the key safe and double check everything is locked up securely.

I then proceed to my next call, about 5 minutes away and begin the whole process again, taking care to check the care plan so I know exactly what to do.

I finish my morning calls about 10.30am leaving me around an hours break until 11.30, if I’m close enough to home I might go back but if not I’ll have a drink and a snack in my car, I always carry plenty of snacks and drinks in case I get delayed or can’t get to a shop.

I then get to my first lunch call for 11.25am, I assist the service user to use the toilet and change their pad (disposing of it appropriately). I wash my hands thoroughly and then proceed to prepare their lunch and drinks of choice. I finish all of the tasks in the care plan, write up my notes in the journal, check things are tidy and ensure the service user is safe and well before leaving.

My lunch calls finish just after 2pm, I then get a break until 3.30pm, I normally go home for an hour in the afternoon and have a proper bite to eat and a drink before going back out to do my tea calls, these usually finish between 6.30 & 7pm (some service users like to have their tea a bit later), after which, I’ve finished for the day and go home. I spend a bit of time with my family before getting showered and preparing things for the next day.

I go to bed quite early as I need to be up early the next morning.
My working pattern does vary a little depending on my service users, sometimes they go into respite or hospital for a while and we often take on new service users so sometimes I go to people I’ve not yet met… I really enjoy my job and get a lot of satisfaction from helping people but I do have to be flexible as things can change so quickly due to the nature of the work.