There’s a high standard for care workers and staff, mainly because working with the elderly can be a difficult job that requires patience and kindness. Loyal, committed and caring staff not only ensure that the care home can keep running efficiently, but it also makes it easier for residents to feel safe and relaxed when around the staff. People who are good with the elderly, easy to talk to and have empathy are widely sought after to make sure that the residents are always receiving the best possible care and being treated with respect.
To become a care worker in a residential care home you generally need to be friendly, kind, empathetic and have the drive to provide quality care and make each resident feel comfortable and looked after. Experienced carers and senior staff members with training in providing care is an advantage, but anyone who is a hard worker, willing to train in care, easily-approachable and friendly could become a care worker with the right training and dedication to providing care to others.
Before undertaking the role of a care worker, you should expect to train in varying levels of elderly care, including dementia care, mental health, and general responsibilities. Staff without formal qualifications such as an NVQ in Health and Social Care can be trained on the job within the home before they can be left to provide care unsupervised.
You’ll need to be compassionate, able to help out with daily activities, routines, and person-centered care, generally supportive, encouraging, patient and understanding. You also need to be sociable, with the willingness to listen and be sensitive to other peoples’ stories and circumstances. On top of this, you would be expected to be trustworthy and reliable as undertaking a role in providing somebody else’s care is a big responsibility and people would depend on you to provide their day-to-day care. Throughout your work with the elderly, you would be expected to maintain a professional approach, which means a healthy balance of caring and building strong working relationships with the rest of the care team.
Most importantly, you need to have a genuine interest in providing care for elderly residents and maintaining their overall wellbeing. Showing interest in your work, listening carefully to the person you’re caring for and remaining flexible will show residents and staff that you genuinely want to help other people.
If you want to become a care worker, or if you want to find out more information about working in a residential care home, contact Paxton Hall here. We provide in-house training for new staff and have a varying number of vacancies available within our elderly care home. Visit our friendly care home in Cambridgeshire today and start your journey into elderly care.