Bluebird Care employees share how they #MakeADifference with Tomorrow’s Care Magazine
Published: 28/08/2018
We are pleased to be featured in the August/September issue of Tomorrow’s Care magazine discussing how you can #MakeADifference through a career in home care.
We are pleased to be featured in the August/September issue of Tomorrow’s Care discussing how you can #MakeADifference through a career in home care.
The piece showcases Bluebird Care employee’s experiences since moving into home care from other career paths and what they have enjoyed most about their roles.
You can view the magazine here: https://content.yudu.com/web/1jybr/0A1vxp9/TCareAugSep2018/html/index.html?page=10&origin=reader
“The smiles hugs and gratitude are really lovely”
Helen Eagle: Senior Domiciliary Care Assistant at Bluebird Care
After teaching for almost 30 years I realised that I was long overdue a career change and wanted to find a less stressful position and a change of pace. As my parents became older they had care at home and this experience made me realise I would like to be involved in this sort of rewarding work.
Since making the career change from teaching I haven’t had any regrets. I have found that while I loved teaching, working in home care is a far less stressful role. All my customers are truly lovely and really enjoying what I do is important as I enter the last few years of my working life. I’ve also found that the hours fit perfectly with my family and I enjoy working a variety of shifts, plus it’s lovely that my life isn’t ruled by bells anymore.
Undoubtedly the best thing about my new role has been the variety of people that I meet each day and the diversity of tasks I undertake as part of my job. The smiles, hugs and gratitude are really lovely. For example, I became very close to a lady living with dementia and spent up to eight hours a day with her and she told me on one of my last visits that these days were some of her happiest.
My advice to people considering a career change and moving into home care is to find a care company that really values and appreciates you so that you have a positive experience and a smooth transition.
Since making the career change from teaching I haven’t had any regrets. I have found that while I loved teaching, working in home care is a far less stressful role. All my customers are truly lovely and really enjoying what I do is important as I enter the last few years of my working life. I’ve also found that the hours fit perfectly with my family and I enjoy working a variety of shifts, plus it’s lovely that my life isn’t ruled by bells anymore.
Undoubtedly the best thing about my new role has been the variety of people that I meet each day and the diversity of tasks I undertake as part of my job. The smiles, hugs and gratitude are really lovely. For example, I became very close to a lady living with dementia and spent up to eight hours a day with her and she told me on one of my last visits that these days were some of her happiest.
My advice to people considering a career change and moving into home care is to find a care company that really values and appreciates you so that you have a positive experience and a smooth transition.
“I now have a much better work-life balance”
Emma Leiva: Recruitment & Marketing Executive at Bluebird Care
I have not had the average career journey. Before moving into home care I had managed a polo team, ran events, and worked in PR and HR for over 30 years. I was looking to change careers and wanted to find a role which would enable me to be around more for my children at weekends and evenings.
When I started to do my research I realised there were a huge array of jobs within home care that I felt could offer me the flexibility that I needed and the chance to make a positive contribution, and I was lucky enough to be offered a position as a recruitment and marketing executive with Bluebird Care.
The role is incredibly rewarding. Not only do I now have a much better work-life balance, I also enjoy making a difference. I get a huge amount of satisfaction from seeing customers out at social events when they wouldn't normally leave the house and always enjoy a chat with someone who is sharing their stories with me.
I think anyone who feels they could make a compassionate and thoughtful carer should try it. Care assistants come from all sorts of work backgrounds and the majority of people who make the change never look back and will tell you it’s the most rewarding job they have ever had.
When I started to do my research I realised there were a huge array of jobs within home care that I felt could offer me the flexibility that I needed and the chance to make a positive contribution, and I was lucky enough to be offered a position as a recruitment and marketing executive with Bluebird Care.
The role is incredibly rewarding. Not only do I now have a much better work-life balance, I also enjoy making a difference. I get a huge amount of satisfaction from seeing customers out at social events when they wouldn't normally leave the house and always enjoy a chat with someone who is sharing their stories with me.
I think anyone who feels they could make a compassionate and thoughtful carer should try it. Care assistants come from all sorts of work backgrounds and the majority of people who make the change never look back and will tell you it’s the most rewarding job they have ever had.
“You can really get to know customers a lot better”
Michelle Gallop: A Bluebird Care Deputy Care Manager
After working for a long time in a care home I decided to move into home care because I was excited by the opportunity to work with the elderly on a more one-to-one basis. I really wanted to provide good quality and personalised care, and to be able to make a difference to people’s lives whilst they remain in their own home environment. I was also attracted to the excellent opportunities for career progression and wanted the chance to work in a different part of the care sector to develop my knowledge and skill set.
In my experience, what makes home care so rewarding is the opportunity to spend quality time with customers. Working in home care your time isn't divided and the time allocated to each customer is for them and only them. This enables you to establish deeper relationships. I have found that individual homes are full of memories and this enables me to develop strong relationships and offer a level of personalised and individual care that would be hard to achieve working in a care home.
Home care is also a lot less structured and focuses more on the individual daily routines of those you care for. This flexibility and variety is what makes the role so fantastic, and it’s why I would highly recommend considering a care switch into home care.
In my experience, what makes home care so rewarding is the opportunity to spend quality time with customers. Working in home care your time isn't divided and the time allocated to each customer is for them and only them. This enables you to establish deeper relationships. I have found that individual homes are full of memories and this enables me to develop strong relationships and offer a level of personalised and individual care that would be hard to achieve working in a care home.
Home care is also a lot less structured and focuses more on the individual daily routines of those you care for. This flexibility and variety is what makes the role so fantastic, and it’s why I would highly recommend considering a care switch into home care.
“The sense of value you receive is amazing”
Kerry Brooker, A Bluebird Care Deputy Care Manager
I am a person who really loves to care and I have lots of experience working in the care sector. A few years ago I took the big decision to move from working in care homes to home care and this has turned out to be a great choice. I now really enjoy the autonomy and flexibility I get from the role and love doing something which I find deeply worthwhile.
A big part of my decision to switch into home care was a desire to help individuals to continue living in their own homes with familiar surroundings. I have found that working in home care enables you to build very close relationships and bonds with customers and families and the support network is very tight.
The sense of value you receive is also amazing and although it can be difficult to walk out of a customer’s home and leave them alone, I enjoy feeling that I have done something nice for someone even in a short space of time. I have therefore loved my career change within the care sector and would encourage others to consider whether they too might enjoy the flexibility and personalised care that home care can offer.
A big part of my decision to switch into home care was a desire to help individuals to continue living in their own homes with familiar surroundings. I have found that working in home care enables you to build very close relationships and bonds with customers and families and the support network is very tight.
The sense of value you receive is also amazing and although it can be difficult to walk out of a customer’s home and leave them alone, I enjoy feeling that I have done something nice for someone even in a short space of time. I have therefore loved my career change within the care sector and would encourage others to consider whether they too might enjoy the flexibility and personalised care that home care can offer.
