The Invisible Care Worker
Most people don’t give a second though to residential care homes and the different types of social care they provide until a parent or grandparent requires care. Few people newly out of school consider becoming a care worker, or engaging in any type of social care. This is unfortunate, but understandable as few young people consider the implications of aging when they are young and healthy.
People who have a care worker visit an elderly or disabled member of their family at home often use the time to get out and run errands, or just take a much needed break. This is understandable, but they fail to see the care worker provide a much needed change of pace for their family member.
In fact, few people give much thought to the workers that provide all sorts of social care to their loved ones unless there is a problem with the worker. Sometimes we pay more attention to the person that grooms our dogs than to the person that helps our loved ones with their bath. Most people prefer not to think about the care their family members are receiving because it is a reminder that they too will age.
Most workers in the social care field understand that they are invisible. People become a care worker because they genuinely want to make a difference in peoples lives, not for the money or recognition. These people are the true heroes, the ones that do the job because they care, without a thought to demanding the respect they deserve.