Today was an interesting one because this is the 2nd visit with my client this week and I felt that it was going to be an emotional one. I can’t go in to details but outside sources seemed to see me finishing my last visit leaving my client with a “brave” expression on their face, which means they were hiding their true feelings.
They showed the same brave face when I arrived today but after a bit of probing they opened up about how they felt about themselves, things around them and their home. So like any good support worker I told them to follow me and we headed in to the kitchen, put on some music to sing along to (granted I sing like an animal in pain) and we started cleaning. I took on the washing up and my client just exploded in to action, wiping up, sorting out the side and recycling and within 30 minutes they had the biggest smile on their face. Now I can not tell you who this person is but if you were to ask them they would deny the smile but trust me their body language changed, as did their demeaner.
Sometimes, as a support worker, we need to let our own hair down to make the client feel comfortable doing the same, even if it means donning a pair of marigolds or singing to R&B songs from the 90s. As long as the client is left feeling positive then I have done my job.
