A day in the life of…

Herefordshire has a wealth of adult care workers in a number of different types of roles, find out what they get up to on a daily basis.

Experience a day in the life of an adult care worker

Across Herefordshire, there are no two days which are the same in the adult care sector thanks to the wide-ranging opportunities available.

Roles in the category of the direct care worker can include an activities coordinator to domiciliary care, highlighting the vast range of opportunities for those interested in pursuing a career in the care sector.

On the other hand, indirect care roles are a different type of involvement that are more focused on management, planning, strategy and care assessments.

We have spoken to a wide variety of people in Herefordshire working in the adult social care sector to gain first-hand experience of the day-to-day activity of a variety of positions.

Activities coordinator

Ellis Davies’ day is one of the most diverse in care, as she meets the different daily needs of each individual and tunes into their hobbies and interests to enhance their quality of life. Planning specific one-to-ones, and to stay active in body and mind, is essential to the quality of life of care home residents.

Ellis’ role includes helping residents reminisce about their past, using sensory activities such as listening to their favourite music and dancing. She may also offer more gentle support, such as a hand massage to provide comfort.

Manager

Deborah Watkins fulfils the role of manager, which is considered an ‘indirect role’, even though has as much interaction as possible with the residents within her care. She will most likely spend a lot of time in the office, making plans for care strategy, ensuring care plans are person centered, liaising with health care professionals as required, completing staff rotas and supporting the staff training requirements and much, much more.

On occasion, a manager steps in to help the frontline care workers, supporting their staff and the residents.

Domiciliary care worker

As a domiciliary care worker, Sandra Brooke helps provide a sense of independence within the routine of a care receiver. She supports individuals to complete simple tasks such as supporting them to get up, personal care, helping them so they can choose what to wear, making sure they have breakfast, take their medication and be ready to have a good start to their day.

Comfort and safety are key parts of Sandra’s role, as once in bed, making sure clients are safe and secure until the next care call. Without this type of assistance, clients would struggle to have any type of freedom and remain in their own home, which is very important to them.

All roles in the adult care sector, have a common theme, the ability to provide companionship to those in need of care and support, making the job worth while by providing help and support, while maintaining their dignity in the process, guaranteeing they go to bed with a smile.