Readers will remember that back in December 2011 care worker John Luckett, invited Isle of Wight councillors to shadow a care worker for a day. The purpose of the exercise was to give decision-makers at the council an insight into the difficulties experienced by those in adult social care.
Cllr Jonathan Bacon of Bembridge and St Helens joined three other independent councillors in rising to the challenge, despite the head of Legal Services advising against it. Here’s his report. Ed
Following John Luckett’s invitation to County Councillors late last year to spend a day as a carer in order to get experience of the system at the ‘sharp end’ I was able to spend last Friday at a specialist Dementia care unit experiencing the work carers undertake and getting a small insight into the pressures they face and the pressures such units are under.
The aim of the exercise was to enable me, as someone who makes decisions in relation to policies and funding affecting the work of the such units, to get some practical insight into the issues affecting such units day to day.
Spoke to staff at all levels
I was able to speak to members of the management team as well as senior and junior nursing staff, spent time with the clients in the day room and spoke to some of them as well.
During the day I learned a great deal but realised that there is a great deal more to learn about how these places work as well as the particular issues affecting Dementia care patients.
It became clear how important a working knowledge of Dementia is to a decision maker just as much as to a carer. It was also clear how different the knowledge required of those concerned with the care of dementia patients is from those engaged in more run of the mill care work (in no way intending to impugn the dedication and knowledge of staff in those areas)
Huge admiration for dementia care staff
It is almost impossible to express my admiration for the staff in the unit who have the daunting task of monitoring, looking after, stimulating and engaging with patients at many different levels.
I learned that in the early stages of dementia it is important to give patients as much independence as possible. In the later stages of the condition almost every task must be undertaken by carers. Every stage of the condition was represented in the unit.
I was particularly moved by one member of staff who outlined the pressures of working in a system which is in essence focused upon coping with the end of an individual’s life and the effect that this can have on staff when an essential part of their work is to befriend and closely support those in their care to enable the condition to best be dealt with.
Complex condition to care for
It struck me that you cannot get an adequate understanding of Dementia in order to appreciate the workings of the care system just from training courses or reading. Staff in the unit I was in undertake a three month induction process, the vast majority of which is concerned with gaining practical experience of day to day care duties.
I saw patients who were both benign and belligerent and who could move from one state to another in moments. Carers need to be able to respond to every such individual client and every situation that arises at the drop of a hat.
Changes in funding can be pivotal
I became very aware of how key funding issues are to the operation of such units. I was shocked as to how much essential work is undertaken by care staff on a voluntary basis outside their usual working hours, such as giving patients trips to the hairdresser or to the Alzheimers Cafe, which is plainly regarded as a valuable resource by patients and staff alike.
It is clear that even small changes in funding have direct repercussions on the experience of patients and the quality of care they receive. When so much of Dementia care is about providing contact and sensory stimulation such changes can clearly have major detrimental impacts on patients.
Staff must be supported
It is also fundamental to ensure staff are valued and supported. It is plain that the staff within the unit are a breed apart and have an awe inspiring dedication to their work but I felt that there is a risk that such dedication can be taken for granted and this is a danger to be conscious of.
Decision makers must plainly be very wary of making any assumptions about carers and the care system and need to appreciate the way each each individual unit operates. Generalisations as to how units might operate or even how a particular unit might operate on a particular day are crass and inappropriate.
A lot to consider
I don’t want to appear as if I now know everything about this particularly difficult area. I certainly don’t.
I was only in the unit for a few hours, but I can now say I know something and while it is better to know something than nothing, there is plainly more that I and other decision makers need to know and appreciate about this aspect of the care system.
