Social care is an industry that thrives on the people that work within it. These individuals tend to naturally have very caring natures and enjoy spending time with people. Depending on how hands on an individual wants to be with those that they are caring for there are a number of different roles that they may want to consider.
Some of the roles that are available can be seen below and you will find that these can be found in a variety of different settings, including nursing homes, care homes and even in Live in Care Exeter companies that provide care to individuals in their own homes.
Direct Care roles include those that work directly with the individuals that are in need for care and include the following roles:
Care Worker – these workers support individuals with everyday tasks such as moving around, getting dressed, cooking and eating their meals, personal care and even their physical and social activities. It is this care work that allows an individual to stay independent for as long as possible and also allows for people to remain in their own homes should they wish to do so. Care workers can be found in live in care situations as well as in care homes and nursing homes.
Activities & Events Worker – These individuals plan and coordinate activities for the those living in the care homes or sheltered accommodation properties. This could be everything from craft activities during the day, to days out and special visitors. One of the big trends at the moment is animal therapy. This could be therapy trained animals such as dogs being brought into the homes to spend time with the residents as well as general animal visits. There is a lot of research being undertaken that supports the positive physical and mental health benefits to the use of animals in care work.
Rehabilitation Worker – this a more specialist role as it involves helping individuals to recover from an accident or illness. This could involve specific areas such as speech and language or mobility and would also involve coordinating with trained staff in these areas such as physiotherapists. These workers tend to work with individuals for a shorter period of time, until they are recovered enough from their illness or accident to be cared for by a care worker.
There are many more roles available in social care but these are the main ones that will involve direct work with the individuals that need care support.