It was hot and sticky but our client was energised, after a long bout of low moods and a lack of motivation, so with a few red faces being pulled I moved sofas, tables and chairs in order to give them a new looking front room. It wasn’t the easiest thing to have done in this heat but sitting on the sofa, seeing the smile on the client’s face and listening to them tell me about all of the positive changes this had inspired made it worth every drop of sweat.
Our job is not a normal one, far from it, and it is often one that sees people believing that we are carers. They think that we go, make sure that they are safe and have food and we are out of the door within 15-30 minutes but this isn’t the case. We get to know our clients, we spend at least 2 hours per visit building up trust and respect to allow us to help them to enjoy their successes but to help push them through the difficult times.
It didn’t cost anything, we used the same furniture that was in the room but with a good old clean and a bit of moving around the room felt like a new room and with this so did the client.
We are support workers, we are like carers but we are given more time to make an impact and with this time we really can. Today’s visit has seen the client in and out of hospital and suffering from memory issues and this has lead to some dark times. Today was the fruits of our labour as we have continuously plugged away to keep their spirits up, discussed possible plans to raise their mood up a level or two.
We are so grateful to be in a position to make an impact, it may be difficult at times but it is worth it.
