I have spent the last three days at Enbridge House Care Home (http://sitebuilder.yell.com/sb/show.do?id=SB0001503498000050), where I have been shadowing and helping the staff on two afternoon shifts and one morning. This has been a real eye opener into the world of caring, and I have found it extremely interesting.
I helped to take the meals and cups of tea/coffee around to the residents, which gave me the opportunity to talk to them. Currently, I don't spend a lot of time with elderly people, so it took a bit of time to get used to speaking loudly and clearly, as many of them were hard of hearing! However, once I got used to it I found communication a bit easier.
I think some of the patients felt frustrated in the home, despite the excellent care. One lady came into the kitchen while we were having a break in order to ask if she could do anything to help because she was bored. I understand that a similar situation could occur in a hospital, as patients spend a lot of time lying in bed alone. This will probably make it harder to work with them, as when you are frustrated you are less likely to want to cooperate.
The experience at the care home has been really useful. I enjoyed working with the staff, and I feel like I have learnt a lot about dealing with a completely different clientele than the normal children at Mencap, which will be very helpful in the future.
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