Two Newbury-based support workers are hoping to dispel misconceptions attached to their vocation and those who they care for.
Lucy Purnell and Abbie Jenkins work for Dimensions and support those who are living with special needs and difficulties.
The pair say that they enjoy working in their “hands on” job and have developed friendships and “emotional attachments” with those that they support.
The carers shared their personal experiences, from the past year, with us in a bid to change public perception.
Ms Purnell, 20, said: “At the end of the day you are coming into their home, so making them feel as comfortable as possible is very important.”
For her, it has been like working “in a family”. She said: “I love the relationships I have made with staff and the people I support.
“Watching the people I support excel in different aspects of their lives and gain new skills is great to see as it makes you feel proud of what you are doing, and also gives you reassurance that you are doing a good job.”
She added: “All of the people I support have their own different characters and sense of humours and I love interacting with them, it’s always different every day.
“Seeing the people we support interact with each other is also very special as they have their own little inside jokes, whether that’s a noise or even a funny face to each other.”
Ms Jenkins, 37 said that she sometimes gets asked whether her job is difficult but says that in reality, it is fun.
She said: “It is actually not that difficult, [residents] can do things for themselves, they are all very cheeky.
“It is about changing public perception because they’re not sitting around doing nothing, it is really fun.
“One guy is really cheeky, he knows how to wrap you around his finger and get his way. He gets you to do drawings for him. He is 55.”
Though it was difficult to see many of the residents struggling to adapt to the pandemic and its restrictions, entertainment and distractions were provided, and the two women managed to keep them active and smiling.
Ms Jenkins said: “It was hard. Activities were being cancelled and then not being able to see family was difficult for them. We did lots of activities at home, and arranged to have virtual calls so they could still see their friends and talk to their family. There was so much singing and dancing, at times it was like a disco.”
She said that they would pick songs, sing and dance to them and then rate dance moves out of 10.
“It would always be a ten out of ten,” she laughed. “It must have been confusing for them not being able to hug and stuff. Contact was still limited at the end of it.
“Some are still scared to come out of the house. If they are sad, it makes me sad. We try lots to distract them from that.”
The carer went on: “A lot of my struggle is with not enough hours to provide as much support as we would like to. We are understaffed, meaning we can’t all go out at once, only two people can.”
She said that people who want to do something rewarding should consider a job in caring and commented on its emotional benefits. “It is rewarding to see [residents] do things for themselves, it makes you feel good,” she said. “There’s many things we would not have thought of. To just make a cup of tea. It makes you really appreciate the small things in life.”
Both the carers encouraged people to get involved in considering the vocation, saying that, despite the long hours, it doesn’t always feel like a job.
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