Working with the elderly

mleoni092708

I've been working the past 7 years as an accountant and I'm not really happy. I don't get much sense of accomplishment from it, and I don't feel like I'm helping anyone. I have been thinking of working with the elderly in some capacity instead. Is there anyone who can share their experience with me regarding assisted living facilities and home health aides? If you are a worker, do you like what you do, and what are the downsides?

Thank you!

applebobbrush

Before we moved out here to the boonies I worked with an organization that sent in aides to elderly peoples homes to help them stay at home longer. I loved it! I had a couple clients that slowly narrowed down to one elderly lady that had alzheimers. I loved her and her family. I basically sat and visited with her while the family was at work, helped her with her lunch, took walks and sometimes drove her for her hair appointments. One huge drawback was I grew very attached her, when she passed away it was very hard. I loved the job though and I say kuddos to you for going for a job that you feel more fulfilled. I think so many people just stay where they are because it's too scary to step out from the normal routines and find something new. Best of luck!

MaggiePuccini

I worked in a nursing home last year. I had fancied doing nursing but in Ireland it's really hard because they aren't hiring any nurses and the ones they are training seem to be recruited en masse by hospitals in England. I can't emigrate now because I have a family. Anyway, I did a year long course called healthcare assistant. I ended up in a nursing home. What can I say? well, obviously these are only my own observations. To begin with I found it really hard. I felt really uncomfortable with the personal care of the older people. Not because I was squeamish particularly but because I empathised TOO much with them if that is possible. I couldn't imagine how they could be comfortable with somebody bathing them, accompanying them too the toilet etc...... even though a lot of them had overcome their own inhibitions in that regard already. To begin with maybe they'd been embarrassed but they'd got past those feelings and my awkwardness was making them more awkward, again!! So, the manager of the care home put me doing different tasks luckily. I found these things extremely rewarding. There was one man who'd had a stroke but he was absolutely compos mentis (sp?) and he was so frustrated by his inability to communicate. So first of all I put together a PECs kit for him, and then in time his family bought him a more uptodate mobile and we downloaded an app on to it to help him communicate with pictures. Also, I did things like discussing the headlines of the newspaper with some residents who couldn't read, but who still had a very keen interest in current affairs. I spoke to a lady who'd survived cancer in 1950 and it was extremely interesting listening to her story. There were residents who'd had really interesting lives and with a bit of prompting they were happy to talk. The home had an undertaking to record the personal histories of all of its residents. (on paper). mmmm, what else did they have me doinng? oh yeah, I helped with the schedule of activities. There was an exercise class and I liked assisting the instructors. Art and crafts class was fun too. There was music class too. There are a good number of activities for residents in care homes to do now, to fill the day and boost their self-esteem and help them maintain the strength in their muscles, and maintain their motor skills.
I found this side of things more rewarding, and more 'natural'. I found I couldn't fake that insouciance required to help somebody with their personal care. I felt the weight of their (potential) lack of dignity far too heavily. But when it came to writing, listening, exercising,music, art....... i could connect as one person to another person. Not as a carer and a dependent. I felt uncomfortable with that, although most of the carers there had no problems whatsoever with that 'role' and were entirely comfortable with it.

When I started at the home I had the erroneous perception that none of the residents were completely lucid. But interestingly, by the time I left, I felt that they were nearly all aware. The only reason I'm not there anymore is because i transfered to do another course and now I need different experience.

I hope that helps a little bit. OH yeah, I forgot, the catering in the home was interesting too because obviously all the dietary requirements had to be considered. I wouldn't have minded working in tthe kitchen. I like preparing food.

chicky89

my mom loves it, and wishes she has started earlier!

I work in a similiar feild (work with people with Autism) and love it as well.

smiles4support

I have been a CNA/caregiver since 2006 & ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!! I started working in facilities: assisted living or nursing homes, but I currently am doing home care for the elderly. It is demanding of your time when you work facilities, but home care is a different pace. I say give it a go...I have clients that request me to come back & that is the best feeling. The pay is crappy, but the reward of putting a smile on someone's face or having them say thank-u...well there are no words!!

cherigurl

I worked in a nursing home for 6 1/2 years, and let me tell you it was the most rewarding job I have ever had, I loved all my residents I had fun with them, but the reality of it is that the floor i worked on had 40 residents on a good day we had 4 girls to get them all out of bed bathed dressed and at the breakfast table, to get spit at, poked with forks, lol it makes me giddle now, but I remember going home and feeling like I was 90 yrs old when I really was 26, I started when I was 20. If you can move your *kitten* and don't mind doing everything your self go do it , it is very rewarding. I left because I hate working with woman, sorry we are all catty and *****y, and where I worked you were either in or out of the clicks it is like high school, I was in and out, I always walked away when they started talkign about people, hate that!! any way good luck

MaggiePuccini

ps, if I were to go back into this area again I would love to try and start up a sign language programme for older people in care. The hearing is one of the first things to go, so even people in their mid sixties will have noticeably poorer hearing (sometimes). So it was hardly an exaggeration to say that every resident had reduced hearing. This impeded their ability to gain pleasure from each others' company. They didn't even have that pleasure, sometimes, sitting next to each other, all bored! because they all had impaired hearing. So far as I could see there was no initiative (certainly none led by the HSE) to teach sign language to older people. I just had the strong feeling that that was possibly the ONE thing that would have most improved quality of life in a care home. In any care home, you'll have new people coming along every now and hten and the longer term residents might get a sense of satisfaction and importance from mentoring the 'newbies' bringing them up to speed with side language.

Well, anyway, that was an idea I had. I never got the opportunity to pursue it. Maybe one day when Ireland's economy is a little healthier I will bring the suggestion to the HSE!

Good luck. Every accountant I know turns out to have another personality entirely rippling under their skin! bursting to get out!

vick9180

I worked in a retirement home with assisted living, independent living, and special care. I was an activities director and fitness specialist. It was a tough job that required a lot of energy, but it was also very rewarding. The hardest part was becoming attached to the residents and then watching them pass away. Sadly, once you are around that environment for a little while, you grow accustomed to them dying. The elderly are the neatest people, though. They have wonderful life stories and a lot of them are extremely sharp. Even the ones who struggle with Alzheimers or dimentia have days that impress you.

With me working with them on their fitness levels, I was able to watch many of them go from not being able to bend down and pick something up off the floor without the use of their claws, to seeing them put those things away and bend down to pick up something without breaking their stride. I watched them build muscle and become more physically fit despite their age and ailments. They gained balance, strength, flexibility and confidence. Truly a rewarding experience!

mleoni092708

Thank you so much for the replies! You can imagine what a huge step it would be for me to switch careers like that and I'm pretty nervous. I know the pay is not always that great, but that's not as important to me as doing something rewarding with my life. I love to hear other's stories to give me an idea of whether or not I can handle it.

MaggiePuccini

Thank you so much for the replies! You can imagine what a huge step it would be for me to switch careers like that and I'm pretty nervous. I know the pay is not always that great, but that's not as important to me as doing something rewarding with my life. I love to hear other's stories to give me an idea of whether or not I can handle it.

I don't want to say exactly what I did as it would identify me and .... well anyway, I used to earn about four times what a care assistant would earn. I found though, in my 'old life' I spent a lot of money on karen millien suits, collections for 18ths, 21sts, 40ths, weddings, retirements! lunches with colleagues maybe twice a week, only in local bars, nowhere fancy but it all added up. Not to mention endless coffees, books papers and magazines to read on the train, bottles of water, I shopped in expensive delis on the way home from work because I had no time for anything except work. I mixed with people who all had healthy salaries. They would say 'fancy coming to barcelona for the weekend?' and I'd say 'yeah ok' before thinking it through. I might have spent €400 going away with a bunch of people i'd seen more than enough of already that week!!
Also, I would have thought nothing of spending 6 euro on a pair of tights in a newsagents if i needed a pair quickly (even though I could have got four pairs for two euro in a supermarket).

Now I'm not going to lie and say that you don't need money, you just need fresh air, a puppy wagging its tail and love! ha ha, but there are lifestyles and jobs where money seems to evaporate. I used to spend a fortune on things I didn't need, or maybe I needed them in that life but I happily do without them now. There are times when I think, oh I wish I could afford x,y or z, but actually, there's nothing that I yearn for particularly. IN fact,my life now is probably far less 'consumerist'. Is that a word?! i never buy magazines. I don't know what I'm supposed to want to buy!! Anyway, I seem to manage. It's an old-fashioned idea, but I have cut my cloth. The ridiculous thing is how much I used to spend on WHAT!? when I was working in an office before I had children!

mleoni092708

bump