Marian 'an angel sent from heaven'

Describing a typical working day Marian said: "Each day is different in this job and depends very much on the individual clients I am working with on that day and whether I am working alone or doing a ‘double call’ which involves two of us working together.

"I work a split shift pattern which means I work different days and times each week but I still get two days off each week."

She went on: "Usually the day begins with me visiting clients in the morning to help them out of bed, showered, dressed, help them with personal care and make sure they take their medicine.

"This is the most important time of the day as clients are often anxious about a hospital appointment or other things they have to do that day, so I will give them a bit of reassurance that all will be okay.

"Next I make sure that they have breakfast and if they are attending Day care, I will have them in their wheelchairs (if needed) and ready to be collected by bus or taxi. Thankfully, these days, there is a lot of high–tech equipment that the Trust puts into people’s homes such as remote control hoists to help with manoeuvring people from bed to wheelchair etc which are now so much easier to operate than the old manual hoists.

"Before moving on, I will record information about the health of the client in the Client's Care Plan and I record any changes to the client’s condition from the previous night. This record can then be referred to by my supervisor or the wider team looking after the client including district nurses and social workers.

"Lunchtime and I’m back to help clients with their medicine and to take care of their personal care, as well as serving up a meal."

In the early evening (4-6pm) Marian returns to serve their evening meal and again deliver personal care and medicine: "It’s also a time to catch up with them and find out what they have been up to during the day.

"I am very aware that for a lot of people I might be the only person they actually talk to during the day so I try and spend a bit of time listening to them as they will often confide in me and I need them to feel they can trust me, " she said. Marian added: "Once you have the trust, I find that the barriers come down and the client no longer feels awkward about receiving personal care.

"Later, depending on what shift I am working, I might be back to help some clients with getting ready for bed, getting into bed and again sorting out any medicine and personal care issues."

Asked hat do the clients and their families think of your work, Marian responded: "You do get close to the clients and their families and a bond really does form. I would say that 99 per cent of the feedback from clients and their families is very positive and I have one client, Mrs Edith Duddy who calls me her angel sent from heaven and she actually bought me an angel pin which I wear on my coat.

"I have been invited to weddings and other events as you really become part of their family and vice versa. Many of my clients would get anxious when I go on holiday and would be counting the days until I got back to work.

"I always find it difficult when clients pass away and I have got very close to many families as I have cared for their loved ones who have died following long term illnesses."

And on the question, how would you describe your job to other people? "I remember once somebody saying to me ‘you’re a home help’ and I replied I’m not a home help, I work for the Trust as a Homecare Worker.

"People still think that we only make beds and put coal on the fire but we work as part of a bigger team of district nurses, social workers etc. and we have a big responsibility to take care of all our clients needs."

Marian went on: "It is a very challenging job as we are taking care of people with complex needs such as dementia and lots of our clients have disabilities and are not mobile.

"I always say to people that this is the first job in my life when I look forward to getting out of bed and getting into work – it’s just so rewarding! A few years ago the Trust gave me the opportunity to study for an NVQ which was not something I was expecting to be doing at my age but I loved it."