Why Work in Domiciliary Care?
However, I believe that there is reason for working in home care that, perhaps, you have not thought of. And that reason is that domiciliary care is changing - let's not put too fine a point on this: it is not just changing; it is transforming. It is not there yet. There is some way to go. But the change has started. And we intend to be instrumental in that transformation.
Yes, the world of domiciliary care is changing. It is a change for the better. It is a change that benefits those who work in care and those who receive care. Working in care is no longer "just a job" and those who work in care are no longer "just carers". This change is happening; it is happening now, it will continue, it has to continue, it cannot be slowed.
Domiciliary care has to evolve into a profession. It has to be seen by potential workers as a career. It has to be able to offer people opportunities to gain valuable experiences and qualifications. It has to become an industry where those who are prepared to shoulder responsibility are rewarded. This is a transformation. A transformation that will not happen without a driving force. That driving force must in the first instance be employers; in the second instance carers and potential carers.
The Brave New World of Home Care: Is It for You?
If working in domiciliary care is truly going to offer you a career, it must transform into a place where there are greater opportunities and greater rewards. It must offer these opportunities and rewards to two groups of people who occupy two ends of a spectrum and to all those who fall in between. As is often the case, few people occupy the extremes of the spectrum; most fall somewhere in between.
At one end of the spectrum are those of you who are eminently reliable, conspicuously good at your jobs, see caring as a calling but, for various reasons, do not want to take on the burden of too much extra responsibility. You are very happy to be well trained and develop your skills because you know this enables you to provide the outstanding care that your customers have a right to receive and you have a duty to deliver. You will be very happy that care is gaining an enhanced status; you will see this as an enormous benefit for you and your customers. You will also be pleased that there are greater opportunities emerging and that, should your circumstances change, you may be able to avail yourselves of these opportunities.
At the other end of the spectrum are those of you who want a career; therefore, you may initially have entered care as a stepping stone into nursing or some other profession. You may have gone into care unsure of what you wanted and discovered you like it a great deal. Whatever your precise circumstances, you find you have joined a company that is ambitious, and has the vision to see how things must develop, and has the drive to implement change, and the awareness to recognise talent, and the desire to reward hard work. You may now realise that you are working for a dynamic company in an embryonic profession where there exists manifest opportunities for capable, enthusiastic people. Moreover, you can play a part in helping the profession mature.
This world of domiciliary care is one where the expectations upon you will be high and where diligence and talent are rewarded. It is a career, a vocation, a profession. It is not a refuge for the feckless but a proving ground for the capable; it is not a harbour for apathy but a home for industry, for enterprise, for energy, for enthusiasm.
Why Should You Work in Domiciliary Care?
Do you recognise yourself on the spectrum I have described above? Then the question for you is answered. Do you recognise the changes I have described? They are happening. Why not play a part?
Why not find out more?
Garry Costain is the Managing Director of Caremark Thanet, a domiciliary care provider with offices in Margate, Kent. Caremark Thanet provides home care services throughout the Isle of Thanet. Garry can be contacted on 01843 235910 or email garry.costain@caremark.co.uk. You can also visit Caremark Thanet's website at www.caremark.co.uk/thanet.
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