- Home
- About NHS Norfolk
- Emergency Planning Response & Recovery
- News & Publications
- Your health
- Your services
- Compliments, concerns, complaints and PALS
- Consultations
- Freedom of Information (FOI)
- Valuing Equality & Diversity
- Procurement portal
- Norfolk & Suffolk Transitional Workforce Group
- About us
- Our work
- Projects
- Swift projects
- Introduction
- Background
- Children and Maternity
- End of Life
- Health and Social Care Navigators: Information, advice and advocacy
- Assistant Practitioner Toolkit
- Skilled Carers Project
- Swift end programme report
- Mental Health: Workforce Skills Analysis and Development
- Personalisation Agenda
- Assistive Technology
- Swift projects
- Events
- Useful links
- Members
- Contact us
- Research and Development
- News for health professionals
- Careers and jobs
- Contact us
- Useful links
- Catch it, Bin it, Kill it video
Activity 2 – You and your time
Caring can be a very special and rewarding activity.
One of the most important requirements of you as a Carer is to be able to communicate with the people that you are caring for in a way that both respects and values the person. This means taking time with that person.
This may appear to be common sense but it is harder to do than you think. Think for example of how busy you are going to be. If you feel rushed and under pressure you might not give the person for whom you are caring the time to express their needs or feelings. If you are caring for more than one person think also of the different sorts of people you will be dealing with, both in terms of their disability and also their differing personalities.
Think about your own personality and how you react to people who are difficult and demanding, particularly if you are having a bad day. However weary you might feel you cannot let your emotions come in the way of those who need your care. This can be very stressful for you so be aware of how tiring it can be to care. Try therefore to ensure that you have some time for yourself to relax and unwind. Sometimes sharing your frustrations over a cup of tea is all that is required.
In the light of the information discussed so far try now to complete the following:
Question 1: Try to create your own definition of `Care`?
Question 2: What barriers to good care might a Carer face on a day to day basis?
Carers need to have time for themselves. However dedicated you feel to those that you are caring for you must ensure that you have time to recover at some point in the day. Caring is much more demanding than it may first appear. However, at the same time it can also be the most rewarding thing that you do in life.
You will find that if you don’t find time for yourself that you will soon reach a point where you feel very tired and unable to carry on. This is not an ideal situation to be in for either you or for the person/s you are caring for.
Question 3: What are the things that allow you to cope as a Carer when you are having a bad day? Think of yourself now and try to answer this question.
Activity 2 – Summary
Now you have identified the barriers and stresses that caring for someone can bring, you need to be mindful of this in your day to day delivery of care.
- Eat and sleep well and find time for you.
- If you need a break try:
- The Short Breaks at Short Notice Scheme Tel: 0808 808 9876
- Or www.norfolkcarershelpline.org.uk
