Working in Care Homes vs Being A Home Carer
One of our home care assistants discusses the difference to working in care homes and home care based upon her personal experiences in each setting.
07/06/2022
One of our home care assistants discusses the difference to working in care homes and home care based upon her personal experiences in each setting.
A common theme we see in our recruitment here at Bluebird Care Worthing is that many of our staff come to us from care home backgrounds. They often tell us that they love being a carer, and enjoyed many aspects of working in a single location. However, there are certain differences between nursing homes and home care that led them to the latter.
We recently sat down with care assistant Hannah, who joined us from a home care background only a few months ago. She told us about her experiences working in each area, and how she’s found life so far as a Bluebird.
Hi Hannah! Could you tell us how you started in care work?
“I’d just had my son and I was finding jobhunting as a parent tricky, and it was just one of those random opportunities that came up. It was a real lifeline, and the funny thing is I didn’t think I would enjoy it. I had to do it to realise how much I loved it. I applied for the care home job on a whim and I think two weeks later I was working there.
“I’d just lost my grandparents when I started working in care, and I used to look after my nan a lot. I think working in care was almost filling that gap. I was at the care home for just short of three years and I have to say I enjoyed it there. But the difference between nursing home and home care have surprised me.”
Were there any experiences unique to working in care homes vs being a home carer?
“The home I worked in was both a nursing and residential home. We looked at all aspects of personal care and there were a lot of bed-bound patients. We basically did everything they couldn’t do themselves – they were very dependent on the care team.
“It was quite a stressful job, and quite emotional at times. But we had a good support network around us which was really important. So that’s a major difference between nursing home and home care work, really – that team always being on hand. You can walk out of a difficult situation in care homes if you’re hurt or upset and someone is usually there to cover you.
“Having said that, I must admit I worked many days where there wasn’t that cover. I would be on the floor by myself and there might only be one other carer in the whole building for 30 rooms. If everybody was in their beds and unable move and I had to hoist someone, I couldn’t do that on my own so I would ring the bell and sometimes be waiting around for minutes at a time. It could be really, really stressful, and we were kind of expected to just get on with it. It wasn’t easy!
“In home care you have a support network on the other end of the phone, but when you’re in the customer’s home it’s just on you. You might think that’s more pressure, but because of the environment the customers are in, the stress levels are so much lower. The customers in homecare are so much more relaxed and you build a different relationship with them. In care homes, you can almost start to feel like they live in your work, if that makes sense. In homecare work, you’re going into their homes and it’s more about the person you’re caring for.
“In care homes for example, they maybe have a couple of personal pictures in their room of their life before. In homecare, their whole home is full of their personality and memories, and the person-centred care feels easier to get right because of that. So, from a care angle, that’s maybe the biggest difference between working in care homes vs being a home carer. You can build a much stronger relationship with the people you’re caring for, much more quickly.
What led you to switch from a care home to being a home carer?
“I was off work during Covid and the care home I had been working in closed down. But to be honest making the move has felt pretty natural.
“I actually had a few opportunities to go into home care sooner and I stayed in the care home more because of the staff and the family feel – thinking ‘oh at least we’re going through this all together.’ At the time, I just didn’t want to take that step out of that comfort zone. But now I’m doing the job I am now, I think ‘why didn’t I do it sooner!’
What are you enjoying most about being a home carer?
“Building relationships with the customers. I find that’s really important. Our office staff are also really supportive – I’m only in my first ten weeks but I’ve already been offered more opportunities to improve my skills with the care certificate. Even though I was in the care home for three years I was never offered that. I’m completing that now and then I’m going to be put forward for an NVQ. So the career progression is really good. The team may have always been there in the care home but in terms of how invested Bluebird Care is in me, I’ve never had that before.”
What are the similarities between care homes and home care?
“There are some similarities in terms of being in a care home vs home care for working. But I have so much more responsibility now and it feels very different.
“I guess with regards to similarities, what you do with your residents/customers is largely the same. You’ve got the same goals of looking after them. But as far as working in a care home or home care and which is better for giving that real personal care, I find them to be worlds apart.
“For instance, care can sometimes be challenging and you have some incredibly lovely customers whichever setting you’re in. Sometimes though you do have a difficult time with someone who is having a bad day – say, for instance, with someone who has dementia and might become violent or unreasonable.
“In a nursing care home, you can’t really step away from that. You have to stay and the next day you may have to give care to that resident again, with what happened the day before still fresh in your mind.
“In home care, and especially at Bluebird Care when you tell the office staff what happened they can schedule someone else to take on the next shift with that customer. So the customer is always looked after; they still have that same high level of care. But as a carer you know that you’ll be looked after too. That’s another difference to working in care homes and home care, and for me it’s been really important in helping me to feel cared about.”
And what’s been the main difference between nursing home and home care work for you?
“I feel like I’m almost my own boss sometimes. I’m out working, traveling from place to place. I love it. The customers are so much more relaxed and in terms of the difference between nursing home and home care, it takes so much pressure off. You’re also given a good amount of time to get from one call to another, too. It’s just far more manageably paced.”
What would you say to someone considering working in care homes vs being a home carer?
“If you’re thinking about moving from care homes to home care – do it! Honestly, I’ve been telling my friends how nice it is. It can be difficult feeling like you can’t give your residents as much as you want to give them. Whereas being a home care assistant I can take them for a walk at their own pace, at their leisure, helping them to do what they want to do.
“I also feel like I have more of a goal as a home carer; keeping them in their home and giving them the best quality of life possible. So I feel more like I’m succeeding at something, and that something I’m doing also feels really worthwhile.”
Considering a career in home care?
Whether you currently work in a care home or you’re simply curious about getting to give person-centred care in the best possible way, we’re currently recruiting for people who have that caring bone in their body. If that’s you, we’d love to hear from you!
Get in touch with us to find out more about life as a home carer, or learn more about our open roles at our Worthing carer careers page.
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