LIVE-IN CARER AVAILABLE. 18 years experience.

Mature, experienced, capable carer seeks position preferably in rotating rota and preferably in West / Southwest of England / South Wales. Will consider other options however.

Fully Covid vaccinated.

Main experience in dealing with elderly people with disabilities / dementia although used with other conditions.

Cheerful, well-educated, flexible. Good cook, non-smoker, driver, own car. Current, enhanced DBS certificate. Contactable references.

I am, by nature, tidy (not obsessively so !) relaxed yet organised. I am a non-smoker and have a full UK Driving license. I am happy to use my car to take whoever I am looking after to make trips, visit friends or attend appointments. My car is insured for this.

I have been used with issues such as incontinence, physical disability, hoisting, use of moving aids. I also am used with liaising with other professionals such as GPs, Physio’s, Occupational Therapists, District Nurses and so forth.

By default it seems, I have often been involved in helping elderly who have been in hospital or nursing home for some reason to return home. Often this has been at the behest of anxious family.

Sometimes this involved helping to sort out or adapt the house, equipment, services and ensuring that all preparations went smoothly.

I prefer to stay long-term with a client although am willing to help out short-term if the situation is urgent for a family and client. In the main, I believe that a rotating rota is best for all concerned, to prevent burn-out and is the best way to cover the entire rota when holidays, emergencies and other unforeseen events pop-up. There is then another person who is familiar with client who can cover. Families who have had carers for a while are usually aware of this.

I have a good working knowledge of nutrition and dietetics and their interplay with ailments. (Doesn’t stop me from cooking a Sunday Roast, or other requests if the person that I am looking after fancies it.) I am reasonably flexible about when I can be available.

I know it is a worry for family to have a stranger come into the house of a relative who may be very vulnerable and it takes time to build up confidence around that issue. However, previous families will attest to my nature, reliability and in time I hope that relatives will be able to know that their relative who needs assistance, is in well-disposed, vigilant hands.

In common with many carers, I have found that it is important, for all family members or people who have direct involvement with the client’s care, to be working on the same path. If they are pulling in different directions, this can soon cause the arrangements to ail and I try to avoid such situations.

Each situation is different and it takes time for things to bed-in and settle: where possible, successful care and improvement in well-being is helped enormously by finding a good relationship with a client.

I look forward to hearing from you.