Case Study
Mrs Suzanne Kinnen What is your job
title?
Domiciliary Home Carer
(updated 08/03/2010)
How long have you been in your current role?
I have been working as a carer in the community with
Michael Phillips since June 2004.
Did you always want to do the job?
Yes, I have always felt that this is the right role for
me. I enjoy working with elderly and vulnerable people in the
community, I find it a very rewarding role and have been a carer
for 16 years.
What training was required?
Since joining Michael Phillips Care Agency Ltd, I have
completed various training courses including Nvq Level 2 in health
and social care, manual handling and hoist awareness, first aid,
food hygiene, health and safety in the workplace and fire safety
awareness. I am now in the process of completing my Nvq Level
3 in Health & Social Care, with the company.
What is an average day like for you?
I start my daily calls at around 6.30am and attend my
personal portfolio of clients.
A typical call early in the morning would include assisting a
client with their personal care needs, dressing and preparing their
breakfast and possible prompting them with their
medication.
I also have shopping calls with clients and accompany them to the
local supermarket.
My usual routines throughout the week are made up of morning calls
to clients to get them up, dressed and ready for the day. Mid
morning calls, to assist with shopping and cleaning, lunchtime
calls for personal care and meal preparation and teatime/evening
calls for the same. I also have some immobile clients whereby
I meet up with other carers to carry out hoisting calls.
These require me to work as a team with the other carer and ensure
the client feels confident in our abilities to care for them
safely.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I enjoy being able to promote my clients independence and
privacy and I respect their ability to make their own choices as to
how they like their lives. At the end of each day, I feel
like I have done something worthwhile.
Is there anything you dislike?
You can get quite close to your clients doing this job and
it's hard if you should lose a client. It does get easier
though with time and experience.
What career ambitions do you hold? (updated
08/03/2010)
I have now completed my Nvq Level 3 in Health & Social
Care (Adult), I will now be able to take on a senior role
at the weekends, which involves holding the emergency phone
and dealing will all types of situations, giving a full hand over
to the management team on a monday morning.
What advice would you give to someone hoping to do the
job you do?
Try it as soon as you can. It's a rewarding role and
you can choose the type of work you feel most able to do best. This
lets you settle into the role slowly rather than being thrown in at
the deep end. Then when you feel confident you can include
other demanding aspects of care in the community. One thing
you must have though is a good sense of humour, understanding, and
an aptitude towards care in the community.