Carers - Again

I like to do the occasional blog about carers.  Hopefully it will help some of you understand what is involved in having a carer and how they work.  It might help you see some of the problems and difficulties that can arise with carers.  But mainly I do it to as a way of trying to show that having a carer isn't always a bad thing, that despite what the media report, in the main most carers are very good, and as a way of expressing my thanks to the carers that have come to me.

Currently here in the UK, the work of a carer seems to be massively undervalued, and as a result under funded.  There was a report yesterday that highlighted how little is paid by local authorities to fund carers.

Most carers are supplied by agencies, employed by the local authorities to provide their home care services.  To do this the local authority pays the agency a fee, which is supposed to cover the carers wages, tax and insurance contributions, supply of gloves, and other protective items, uniforms and ID badges, travel costs between jobs, and then the agencies costs which amount to about 30% of the fee.

Currently the average rate paid by councils to agencies is £12.26 per hour.  However, in one case it was found that a council was paying as little as £9.09 per an hour.

The UK Homecare Association is pushing to have the rate per hour increased to £15.19.  At this level they say the standard of care provided would increase and carers could be guaranteed to receive the national minimum wage of £6.31 per hour, for over 21's, something they don't necessarily get.

My local council currently pays £12.56 per hour - so above the national average.  The carers receive £6.50 per hour from the agency, but they have to pay for their own uniforms and do not receive any travel expenses.

Carers are employed on the dreaded "Zero-Hours" contract, which means they do not have any guarantee of work, week to week.  They do not receive basic benefits such as holiday pay or sick pay.

The job is physically demanding and very often means working very long days, usually 7 days a week.  To give you an example, I'm 6ft 2 inches tall, and the best part of 96kg (about 210lbs), and first thing every morning I need to be helped from lying down in bed, to sit up on the side of the bed.  I can do very little to help, except move with the carer as they get me upright.  Its a bit like trying to move a very big sack of potatoes - do it right and its OK, do it wrong and its difficult and could lead to either my carer or me, being hurt.

My carers come to me about 6.00am in the morning, but they will very often say that they didn't finish work until gone 10.00pm the previous evening.  Margaret, my regular carer, has been known to come into me, to put me to bed, after midnight, because an emergency has arisen - such as a client being on the floor when she gets there - but she is still expected to be back at work early the next day.

When I first came out of hospital and rehab, I didn't know what to expect from carers.  I had seen all the horror stories in the media about carers, about mistreatment and abuse, and these made me nervous of what to expect.  Naively, I though I might need a carer for a few weeks, and the once I'd adjusted to being in my own home, I could do without them.  Well, five and a half years later, I'm still waiting to make that adjustment, and realise that having carers is now an essential part of my life, and one of the things that allows me to live independently.

I have had some bad carers.  Carers who aren't really interested in what they are doing.  Carers who come in and you know straight away that they won't last very long.  Carers who have no idea of time keeping and how important having a regular routine, with carers coming at a regular time, is.  Carers who keep needing to be reminded of what they need to do.

But generally the problems that arise are as a result of the agencies administration staff.  They are generally people who have never done the job, and therefore don't know what's involved.  They give carers unrealistic work schedules, without factoring in travelling time, so that a carer can leave me at 6.45am in the morning but be expected to be at their next client 3 or 4 miles away at 6.45am.  But if the office gets a complaint about the carer being late, they will never accept that it is the office staffs fault and always blame the carers.  They are disorganised, leave arranging cover for carers going on holiday until the last minute, and communicate very badly with clients.

However the vast majority of the carers who have come to look after me have been excellent.  They understand what needs to be done, and allow me the time to do what I can, without taking over or rushing me.  They are friendly, and we can chat about things, and hopefully have a laugh.  They help me with little things, that don't necessarily come under their job description, and are kind to Mum, which counts for a lot.

On the 19th January this year, it was 3 years since Margaret first came to look after me.  She has been coming ever since.  Sometimes all three calls in a day, sometimes only one or to, but she has been a regular carer for all that time.  She is more like a friend now.  We know about each others families, and she regularly talks with pride about her little girl, Dora, and how she bosses them all about at home.

I have other carers who have come to me on and off for the same period, but no one as consistently as Margaret.

I have said before that a bad carer can be a negative influence on your life.  The can cause you stress and anxiety.  If they do their job badly, this leaves you uncomfortable and sore, and possible even dirty.  If  they come through the door and are unhappy or uncommunicative, this leaves you feeling nervous and vulnerable.

A good carer is a very positive influence on your life.  Seeing them can just give you a lift.  If they look after you well, you feel smart, clean and worth something - just all round better about yourself.  And if they are the only person you see all day, then its better if its a happy face that you can talk to properly.

So here's to the good carers.  To Jane, to Mary, to Natalia, to Jason, to Marilyn, to Hildreth and to all the others who have come, and gone, but have been a positive influence on my day.  And especially to Margaret, to whom I simply don't have the words to express my gratitude.

We seriously undervalue carers, as we do many in the caring professions, such as nurses.  Until we start to appreciate them, not just in terms of the money we pay them, but also for the importance of the job they do, and the effect they can have, then we will always have a problem with care provided to disabled and elderly people.