What Makes a Good Carer?

To be in the care industry you need to wear many hats. What makes a good carer? How do you choose a ‘good’ agency? If you ask Google, one word comes up consistently: Compassion.

I recently saw an example of someone who would definitely fail the interview for a carer’s position. A male driver of the shuttle bus at Nice airport, calling after an elderly Asian woman: “Imbecile!” It made me shudder. Her crime was simply to ask (in English, so annoyance #1): “Is that the tram?” (pointing at the tram) “And this is a bus?” (pointing at the shuttle bus). I would like to see him navigate another language or two in a strange place — probably after a long journey. Not to mention she was probably three times his age.

Back to Google and their carers and agencies’ ‘must haves’. Respectful. Indeed, that has to be pretty high on the list. Compassionate and patient. I still use the ‘how would I feel in your shoes’ mantra in my head before making an unnecessary comment.

Although I thought compassion and empathy would be pretty much top of the list of requirements, I was a little surprised to see passion as #1 with some reviews.

Excellent carers will have endless compassion, empathy, kindness, not be quick to judge, and be willing to be flexible in another’s world.

Is the care agency you are considering passionate about what they do? Fair question, when you think about it. There are, after all, a million other ways of earning a living.

Care and Choice staff have always been passionate about making a difference — making a positive difference in the lives of people who for one reason or another have become vulnerable and need help. Care agencies have clients and carers, but some go the extra mile to match the two.

As I was researching information for this blog, I found one article that listed ‘bubbly’ as a carer requirement. Possibly — but certainly not something all clients would require. In fact many years ago, a client, in all seriousness, told me: “You really are not suited to this job at all. You’re far too cheerful!”

Something I do think is important is focus. I prefer to do shorter stints of live-in care work these days as I like to give 100% or as near as possible. So I try to be unproductive, writing-wise, so I can focus on making my time with my client about them.

And here is where the passion comes in. As some say, the opposite to love is not hate but indifference. So the opposite to passion for your job is doing something to pay the bills. I have a wonderful, kind, gentle and patient dentist. She is simply passionate about her profession. She once said, when she had a back problem: “I have to get better — dentistry is my life.” It is her passion.

Without going into detail, an hour in her dental chair became a study in passion versus indifference. It’s one thing to be knowledgeable about a profession, but when your heart isn’t in it, it shows.

For many adults, the biggest change in their lives will be the moment they can no longer live alone. As children we very rarely get a say in what happens to us and sometimes, if dementia is diagnosed, life can turn full circle. A good, respectful care agency knows all this. Excellent carers will have endless compassion, empathy, kindness, and a willingness to be flexible in another’s world.

So whenever you look for carers and agencies, personal recommendations are usually the best source of reliable information. Of course, experience can be paramount — but a young recruit with passion may be better than a retiree watching the clock.