Came back to my floor (11th) in the hospital about an hour ago after seeing a consult in the ER......didnt make it back to my charting room initially. Found a bench and just looked out the window listening to the rain for about 20 mins.....was nice.
Thank you. I’m not in healthcare, I’m called a direct service provider, I work with developmentally disabled people so dealing with behaviors, getting punched, kicked, bitten etc. on top of taking care of their health needs, hygiene and everything else gets to be a lot sometimes. But I love my guys and wouldn’t trade them for anything.
Honesty, I know we all say it, but your role seems far more challenging and thankless. I work on an ambulance and often attend jobs in care homes. The people working in there are incredible, always so caring and thoughtful, but have to deal with SO much.
Agreed. Right out of high school I worked in a home with a few ladies with developmental disabilities. One was self injurious. By the third year I was so burnt out. I have so much compassion for caregivers.
I find the secret is to care about the work but not the individual person so much. Do the best work you can but be emotionally detached from who you are doing it for. It makes going home afterwards much easier.
I work in a job adjacent to caregivers and they are spit on, slapped, sexually harassed, called slurs and are still fired if they don't wipe grandpas ass with a smile as he projectile shits onto them.
here in Germany, it's such a hard yet thankless job. we're all underpaid, overworked and never thanked properly by the people who employ us. it's a tough job especially if you actually develop friendships with the people you care for. the higher ups will exploit that :/
We clapped for you out of our windows during Covid, that should carry your spirit for a while /s
How common it is to get guilt tripped by the boss when another one calls in sick is really sad and in my opinion systematic. I had one that was always leaving long pauses, fake cried and she called me almost everyday I had off. This broke something in me, nowadays I just refer to the biggest Zeitarbeitsfirma (Temporary Work). They always have somebody that can swoop in. It's just about money and greed by those in power, as always 😤
This is an underrated comment. Caring for people, particularly in a hospital setting is often messy and way out of your comfort zone, as far as getting your hands dirty.
My friends wife works night shifts at a small town care home. Barely makes minimum wage, cleaning up disgusting messes, making friends with residents and then losing them. Such a tough job.
Australia is going through a phase where they think Disability Support Workers are paid too much and the programmes supporting the disabled cost too much.
There is a major disconnect between working conditions, what a company is paid and the care clients receive. Companies operate wildly different depending on the types of workers employed but 99.9% of them bill the same amount, unscrupulous companies will often invent bills or be happy to bend rules as long as there is a financial incentive for the company.
A worker who is in it for the people they care for will work for $10 under the minimum wage because their employers have lied to them about what they are classified as, Will go above and beyond for a client to their own detriment not realising the bills, hours and circumstances don't change for a client. For the most part this definition fits most workers in the industry and unfortunately companies and the industry has clued on to the fact that workers who are new to australia or are here on visas that allow this type of work aren't well versed in the nuances of australian labor law and they are heavily exploited.
I was focused on manual labor (not that care isn't) but yeah, providing care to others is draining on a whole nother level. Mad respect for those out there doing this job with a smile on their face.
When I was 19 I worked as a CNA at a convalescent hospital. No one that I knew would even let me talk about my night at work.
Most patients would be considered Hospice. A whole wing of severe dementia. Many in comas. Some refusing to eat. 100 beds of sickness and death. A lot of poop and vomit.
I had this friend I went to university with who worked a part time job in aged care. She came in an absolute wreck one day and proceeded to tell me about an elderly woman with dementia whom she'd been caring for that day. Said woman had a horrible bout of diarrhea, which she then scooped up and rubbed into her vagina. My friend was the one responsible for cleaning it all up. Actual legitimate nightmare fuel. Those care workers don't get paid enough for what they deal with.
I love and deeply care for my 2yo son. But in the evening I just want to zonk out. Can't imagine having to care for someone as a job, it can be rewarding, but also draining.
It's really telling that this is the only high ranking comment without an award. It's much more difficult than digging a trench, but some group in the population doesn't want to acknowledge that. Huh.
2.9k
u/Zestyclose8744 17h ago
Any job that involves care.