Job overview
This is a permanent, part-time visiting care role offering 21 hours per week. The successful candidate will provide personal care, practical support and companionship to Peter, an 82-year-old gentleman with dementia and various health needs. The role suits a warm, kind and emotionally supportive carer who is comfortable providing assistance with daily living tasks, medicine administration, and technology support in a home environment.
Key responsibilities
The carer will visit the client's home and undertake the following responsibilities:
- Manage and administer medicines
- Purchase groceries and prepare meals
- Undertake household tasks including cleaning and laundry
- Provide transport to appointments
- Offer friendly companionship and emotional support
- Provide technology support including troubleshooting TV, internet and phone issues
- Encourage and support the client to wear clean clothing
- Manage indwelling catheter supplies including emptying the night bag and replacing it weekly with a clean one (this does not involve intimate personal care)
About the client
Age: 82
Medical conditions: Dementia, arthritis, osteoarthritis, cataracts, hearing loss, swallowing difficulties, and indwelling catheter
Additional health needs information
Peter has swallowing difficulties which are no longer automatic, requiring him to concentrate whilst eating and drinking. He should not be interrupted once he has started eating. The carer should be aware of and experienced in supporting people with swallowing difficulties.
Client personality and lifestyle
Peter initially appears shy, reserved and unapproachable due to uncertainty around new people. However, once he becomes familiar with someone, he is a funny, warm and engaging person who enjoys discussing his past, family and takes interest in others' families too. He is still fairly mobile and enjoys daily walks along the seafront. Peter values routine highly and becomes anxious and agitated when his routine is disrupted. He enjoys watching black and white films in the afternoon and has a model railway in the garage. Peter lives with his wife Dawn, who provides 24-hour emotional and cognitive support.
Work environment
The client's home is smoke-free and pet-free. The home must be kept free of trip hazards for safety due to the client's diminishing eyesight, particularly in the left eye. The client values cleanliness and tidiness.
Requirements
Essential requirements:
- Fluent spoken English
- Full driving licence and access to own car
- Care Certificate qualification
- Experience or evidence of training in supporting people with swallowing difficulties
- Warm, kind and emotionally supportive approach
- Good at reassuring people and helping them feel safe and understood
- Someone who is comfortable and good around technology would be ideal as this is a particular area of difficulty for Peter but he still does like to use Facebook to keep in touch with his grandchildren who will live a hundred miles away and because the TV is connected to the internet through cable services he also cannot sort problems when the internet drops and the TV can't work. He has a basic mobile phone with an emergency button but frequently forgets how to use it to make calls. He wears a falls alarm watch when Dawn is not in the house or other carers aren't around, in case he has a medical problem but he needs constant prompting to put this on when carers or his wife leaves.
Desirable requirements:
- Dementia care training certificate
Working pattern
The role is 21 hours per week, split as follows:
- Monday to Saturday, 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. (18 hours)
- One morning per week, 10:15 a.m. to 1:15 p.m., involving taking the client out within a 30-mile radius (3 hours; day negotiable)
Additional ad hoc hours are available to cover respite care when the client's wife takes short breaks. These are typically overnight stays and will be discussed during the interview process. Additionally there may be opportunities to accompany Peter and his wife on their annual holiday delivering the same hours while they're away. Your accommodation will be provided either within the same accommodation or a B&B a short distance away. You will be free to do your own thing outside of the normal working hours.
Who this role would suit
A warm, kind and emotionally