Gemma describes her role in social care as “fresh, exciting, rewarding, satisfying and enjoyable” and it’s easy to see why.
The people she supports like doing lots of activities. From dance lessons to trips to the theatre, you can often find them swimming, enjoying lunch with friends and spending time at the seaside.
“I feel tremendously valued by the people I support, and I can tell by their smiles, when they see me, that I’ve made them feel fulfilled.”
Ailish believes anyone can be a support worker, but to be a good support worker you need something special and not everyone understands what it takes.
“No two days are the same [being a support worker]. I often go home, get in my car and think, I love my job. If someone told me it isn’t a meaningful role, I would invite them to learn more about it. To be a good support worker, you need to have a kind and caring nature, and also be resilient. It can be hard, but you have a support network, and you can ask for help.”
Mark left university and worked in construction for six years. He’s now been working in care for nine.
As part of his role, he learnt Makaton (a communication tool) to help communicate with the person he supports. You can now find him teaching Makaton workshops.
“I feel as though Dimensions has put its faith in me.”
There can be hard times as a support worker too, and it’s important to reach out to your colleagues as a support network.
Anne had to go through a very difficult experience.
“Someone I supported was diagnosed with a terminal illness, and we were told she’d have to go to a hospice or stay with us. We knew she wouldn’t cope in a hospice and, as a team, we kept her in her home. She was happy right until the end… Everybody looked out for each other.”
These are just some life-changing stories our amazing support workers share whilst working in social care.
If you feel like you too could change someone’s life, find out more about working with us and how we can reward you for this incredible journey.
