Self Care

Live-in Care work can be exhausting because of the long hours you are on duty and, sometimes, also because of the Client’s disposition. The suggestions below will help to protect both your physical well being and your sanity!

Assignment Planning

  • Unless you already have considerable care experience, it may be best to build up your confidence by, initially, only undertaking assignments at the Agency’s least arduous level of care.
  • Limit your assignments to two weeks until you have worked with several different Clients.
  • Allow yourself to have a few days break after two assignments. Later, when you have become more experienced, you may feel able to extend your working periods. Try to make these breaks both relaxing and interesting by visiting family or friends, going on a coach trip or even a coach holiday, or exploring a part of the UK you have not visited before.
  • When the Agency gives you the address of your assignment, make sure that this includes the postcode. In the UK, the post code narrows down the location to about 20 houses and you can get maps of where you are going from the internet using Google Maps, Mapquest or MultiMap. You can also get a map and route planner from the RAC.
  • If you have not already been given a “follow on” assignment, phone the Agency well before the end of this one to let it know when you would like the next one to start.

Packing and Travelling

  • Most Carers accumulate more stuff than they can comfortably take to an assignment. Here are three suggestions to ease the problem:

1) Arrange to leave the surplus with a friend or relative.

2) Rent a lock-up cage in a storage warehouse. These are not too expensive (about £20 per week) and you may be able to share it with two or three other Carers, with each of you having a key.

3) Buy a car. You can then carry all your worldly possessions with you but will have to find a safe place to park and will need a “permanent” address for the documentation.

  • When travelling to an assignment, try to minimise the stress by:

1) Keeping the weight of your luggage to a minimum;

2) Travelling by whichever means (train, coach, bus or car) will give you the most convenient journey, but arriving at your destination by the time specified by the Agency. This is often midday, but the outgoing Carer may ask you to arrive earlier.

3) Choosing a train or coach route that will minimise the number of changes.

  • Remember to get receipts for all journeys, including any by taxi.
  • As you may not be able to go to a hairdresser for several weeks, a hairstyle that is easy to wash and dry and to keep tidy will be the most comfortable.
  • Take a few first aid items, such as plasters and antiseptic cream, in case you cut yourself.
  • Take household gloves to wear when doing washing up, laundry and general cleaning.

Your Health

  • There may be times when you feel lonely and isolated, so take a book, some knitting, a hand-held game (Sudoku for instance) or something else to do when you are not occupied with the Client.
  • Try to take a break each day and get outside for a walk if at all possible.
  • Some of the ideas in “Caregiver Therapy” (J. Kuebelbeck and V. O’Connor, ISBN  978-0-87029-285–9) may help you keep your life in balance while you are caring for others.
  • Try to build up a network of other Carers so that you can share your experiences, seek advice and plan your breaks.
  • If your duties involve washing the Client or applying cream, you should take disposable gloves.
  • Consider purchasing a back support if you have a history of back pain. These cost about £30, but the warmth and support provided could enable you continue with the assignment. However, a back support should not be worn all day, only when you are lifting or bending.
  • If you are troubled because the door to your room does not have a lock, consider buying a rubber door wedge.
  • Be aware of the “Heathrow Injection”. This has nothing to do with medical requirements for entry into the UK but is what Carers and others from the southern hemisphere call the unwanted personal weight gain which may occur after you arrive. The change to a less active lifestyle, more substantial food and “comfort eating” may all play a part.
  • In the UK, the concept of “healthy eating” includes reducing your salt and sugar intake to recommended levels. You may get some comments if you sprinkle a liberal amount of additional salt on your meals or take multiple spoonfuls of sugar in your tea or coffee.
  • If you smoke, never do so in the Client’s home.

Keeping In Touch

  • Take a mobile phone (and charger) with plenty of air time, so that you can talk and send text messages to the outside world.
  • The Client may already have internet access. If not, ask the Client’s Representative if it could be installed to enable you  to pick-up/send emails and access the internet. The chances of being near an internet café are virtually nil, but you can look for access points in local libraries.
  • Many Carers  take a  laptop computer on assignment so that they can watch DVDs or play computer games.

And finally…..

Look for the humour in all situations and try smiling to yourself after every irritating incident. You will certainly have some stories to tell once you have done a few weeks of live-in care work.