Month: August 2018

“You know it’s common; all that lives must die, passing through nature to eternity” (Hamlet: Act 1, scene 2)

We must all ‘shuffle off this mortal coil’, and yet people still find it hard to talk about death. I can and do appreciate the reasons why.

However, within the role of Personal Care Assistant you will be working with some people that are facing their own. This needs thinking about as we will have to be able to respond to their needs as they arise, in responding that may mean that we have to face our own mortality, our own views of death and dying.

It may be that a person doesn’t fear death, they fear the way they may die. They may not want to suffer the indignity of dying, they may fear the process of it or they may not want to suffer it alone.

They may be faced with regrets, unfinished business or a bucket list that they keep adding to and want to keep going as long as they can.

We need to be able to talk with people about death and about dying, we need to be able to support people in making plans, sorting things out, ticking off items on their bucket list.

We need to be open to facing issues with people and not supporting their avoidance of it just because it helps us to avoid it. I’m not saying that you need to sit down with somebody and say “We need to talk about death”. Or “Have you sorted out your will yet?” That would be, to put it politely, insensitive. We just need to be open about talking about it when your client wants to.

It may be that your client has just lost a partner or a friend and is grieving themselves, you will need to be open to support them too.

As I said before it will help us if we have sorted things out in our heads about our own ‘mortality’ and become self aware of our own thoughts and feelings on the subject. This is not being morbid, it’s being sensible. We need to be a position where we can support people without being vulnerable ourselves.

Working though issues is best done in a partnership and not alone.

Just a short post for now on the ubject of first aid. I am First Aid trained and, even so, I’d rather not have to do it! It is that slight anxiety of ‘cocking it up’

So, working as a Personal Care Assistant you may come across an incident that requires first aid, what do you do? Genuine question.

Obviously if it is serious you call 999 and stay with the person, hopefully you’d stem any bleeding the best way you could if they were. Or immobilise an arm or leg if you suspected a break or major sprain. What would you do if they went into shock or became unconscious and stopped breathing?

That’s just the serious stuff!!

The simpler stuff may include, cuts, bumps and bruises, headaches, dizziness, small burns and splinters.

What stuff do you have around to help? A first aid box? Box of plasters?

What is you liability?

I don’t have the answers as it is the first time I’ve really given thought to it, but I will try and find out.

I would if I were a PA get myself a first aid box and at least get some information on simple first aid. I may even go so far as to get myself some first aid training.

So have a look and see what help and support is available in your area.

And always risk assess where you are to ensure that the risk of injury is reduced at all times.