mimipopa

we often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. Leo Buscaglia

The definition of a “carer” is the source of some confusion across all health sectors. This is because it is applied both to paid staff and family/friends who adopt caring roles.

It is also a label with which family/friend carers do not to identify. This may relate to lack of awareness that they are fulfilling an identifiable ‘caring role’ or associated stigma. Many family/friend carers view themselves as a supportive husband, sister, mother, friend rather than just a “carer”.

But herein who really cares for the carers?Paid and unpaid? The topic should be divided into two folds as carers are the backbones of health and social care sectors. Very often carers faces challenges associated with stigma,discrimination,emotional pressure and they have seen as often to face some types of physical and emotional pressures on daily basis. So what we do for all these people? What can we do to reward the job what they are doing and how to reduce the pressure they face at work or in their personal lives? Although research reveals 75% of people believe those working in care don’t receive the status or praise they are due. I don’t want to juxtapose on the ideology that every single organization does the same for their staff and volunteers,carers paid and unpaid but I work in care and we put a lot of effort into our commitments to care for our staff however I don’t want to relate the article as much as a praise to my own organization but rather to expose the dilemma which carers are faces on day to day basis.Whether they are identified carers in the field we should not forget the unpaid caring element where the struggles lie.

Who does really care for our mum,dad,borther ,sisters,siblings and so on?What we really do to make sure we are a caring society?

Answers are very simple, indeed.

There are different methods and strategies on how to care for the carers ,paid and unpaid.Although there are incentives and job rewards schemes we have also to remember about the well being of the individual and the mental toughness as such individual possesses.We often tend to respond eco-centrically to the adverts that we really care about our carers but the truth indeed is out there. We can only do our best to listen to the people we care for and ensure we attend to their needs. And the more important role is to look at the carer and their coping strategies. We tend to grow within our roles but very often we neglect the emotional element.Who carers for the carer could not only represent a bottleneck issue but also could be an arresting idea,which seems to be featuring increasingly frequently in the debate about the future of health and social care and about the care of our people.Therefore we do our job for people,by people and with people.

And to be honest carers respond better when people pays more attention to them. Herein we have to remember that caring job is a vocation and we need to be passionate about the job we do and if you need my advice I could tell you that you either posses these qualities or not as caring job is a hand on role which requires dedication ,commitments and lately the caring focuses more on the 6Cc which endures values and behaviours that underpin the core of health and social care ethos.The 6Cs are defined as care,compassion,competence,communication,courage and commitment.

Care

Care is our core business and that of our organisations and the care we deliver helps the individual person and improves the health of the whole community. Caring defines us and our work. People receiving care expect it to be right for them consistently throughout every stage of their life.

Compassion

Compassion is how care is given through relationships based on empathy, respect and dignity; it can also be described as intelligent kindness and is central to how people perceive their care.

Competence

Competence means all those in caring roles must have the ability to understand an individual’s health and social needs and the expertise, clinical and technical knowledge to deliver effective care and treatments based on research and evidence.

Communication

Communication is central to successful caring relationships and to effective team working. Listening is as important as what we say and do and essential for “no decision about me without me”. Communication is the key to a good workplace with benefits for staff and people who uses our services alike.

Courage

Courage enables us to do the right thing for the people we care for, to speak up when we have concerns and to have the personal strength and vision to innovate and to embrace new ways of working.

Commitment

A commitment to our people who uses our services and populations is a cornerstone of what we do. We need to build on our commitment to improve the care and experience of our patients to take action to make this vision and strategy a reality for all and meet the health and social care challenges ahead.

Who carers for the carers is a two way process: to give and to get and to sum up, caring is a rewarding job as you get a lot in return. Not only you grow professionally but also at the personal level caring role could change you as a whole.You learn to become a better person,to get a new identity as a professional and often you can learn to discover yourself.You learn to forgive and forget and you learn to be compassionate. Also you learn from mistake and learn that every day matter the most .In the end of the day making a difference and making someone happy is the most rewarding role in the entirely world.

As for me, who really cares for me? My answer is subsequently very simple. I am fortunate to have a great employer, family and friends and not at last lovely people I do take care too but they also care a lot in return. I am surrounded by a healthy environment which make me strive and that matter the most. I am lucky to care but also to be carer for. I don’t need anything else.