Life as a Live-In Care Assistant

“What is it like being a live-in carer?” We get this question often! Here, experienced care assistant Marius talks about life as a 24-hour live-in caregiver.

Joining the care industry

“I am originally from Romania and started working in care in 2004 after I visited my wife who was working at the time in Italy. Someone there asked if I wanted to work in care and I said ‘okay!’

“Being a care assistant in Italy was nice, though a little different to in England. There are less rules and it offers a different type of training. Then after several years of being there my wife moved to England and I applied for a care job to work there too.

“I arrived here in 2018 and went into a care role with another company as a ‘normal’ care assistant. Again, that was a little different to Bluebird Care. It basically felt a little less professional, more like being a contracted volunteer. It was also not as well paid!

“Thankfully two years ago I got a call from Bluebird Care asking if I wanted to work for them. They told me about the company and that was when I learned about the opportunity to be a live-in carer.”

Daily life as a live-in carer

“Being a live-in care assistant is for people who love to work with people. I would say you have to have a very big heart. In my case, I have been with my customer for several years and I am very attached to him and his family.

“That can be a little difficult sometimes. I see day by day if he is doing well or not. I can see his health worsening and sometimes there isn’t a lot I can do to help. So I do what I can to look after him and make him feel cared for.

“The good side is that I get to share so much with him. When go on holiday he becomes anxious about me leaving, and when I come back from a holiday I see his whole face smile. I also get to see the times that I help him and he begins to feel more confident – and nobody knows about that, only me and him. It wasn’t always easy to begin with, I had to learn to understand his moods and actions. But slowly I have built that trust – not just with my customer but also with his family. So, I feel very appreciated. It is very special.

“Many nice memories”

“I also have had a chance to make many nice memories – especially when my customer was able to go out more. We went to the stroke association and he had a lot of fun. We attended coffee mornings at Bluebird Care. His daughter sometimes invited him to restaurants which was a nice experience.

“Maybe my favourite times were in the summer, when we would go into the garden together and he would tell me how to work on it. I love doing the garden anyway and I have done it before, so if he suggested something wrong I might not do it! But we would talk about it and I would explain. He is not able to go there now but it I am grateful that when he could, we got to do it together.”

The biggest challenge as a 24-hour live-in caregiver

“Finding a good work/life balance is essential. Every two months my wife and I take a week off and go to London to see our daughter and her child, our grandchild. It isn’t always easy. You need really strong relationships for them to work with this job. If you have them, it can work, but it takes patience and also understanding.”

“So to someone who is thinking about being a live-in care assistant, I would say think a lot before you start. It is a commitment and a lifestyle. This is not a job to do just because it offers more money than a normal care assistant. You have to love to look after people and want to build a very close relationship with your customer.

“For me, I have discovered it is my vocation. If you have a lot of consideration and kindness for other people and you have the life to allow, you might discover it could be that for you too.”

We are actively looking for live-in home carers

It takes a special kind of person to be a care assistant – and an extra-special one to be a 24-hour live-in caregiver. If you think it could be for you, we’d love to hear from you.

Take a look at our elder live-in care jobs in the Gosport area and get in touch with us to find out more about life as a live-in care assistant.

Related posts

• What Makes a Great Carer?
• Cost of Living: Part-Time Care Work Could Be an Answer
• Why I Started Working in Care: Our Staff’s Stories
• Learning At Work Week: What Carers’ Training Looks Like
• Our Christmas Care Stories
• Six Myths About Social Care and the Real Truths Behind Them