Is Being A Support Worker Hard?

Being a support worker is all about being passionate and concerned about people and their needs. The job requires that you not act aggressively or spitefully to improve their lives. Although the job can be demanding, you need more than just care skills, including understanding and patience. In essence, if you are self-centred and cannot tolerate people, you might not be fit for this job.

What Is My Role As a Support Worker?

Now that you understand the basics of being a personal support worker, it is essential to understand the duties of a support worker.

Providing Mental Assistance

While working, you might regularly meet different sets of people with distinct needs. While some need emotional aid, others may require a different kind. It is your role to diagnose their conditions and create unique recovery plans that will suit them.

What Does the Role of a Support Worker Entail?

Some people need help with their mental state of mind. They may be going through illusions, traumas, and learning difficulties. Some may be ex-convicts, recovering from addictions, or having relationship problems. A care worker has to assist them in attaining whole mental health and maximising their potential.

Creating Family Bonds

Some people may have communication and relationship strain with others and their family members. As a support worker, your job is to help them understand how to relate with people properly without problems. Also, your role helps to relieve the person’s family members of the stress of caring for their person; therefore, allowing them to carry on their personal lives effectively.

Rendering Emotional Assistance

Emotional assistance is an essential aspect of being a caring supporter. A glass of juice and a warm hug can be very something. However, it would be best if you did a lot of listening. Give your patients ears and put yourself in their shoes.

Offering Physical Assistance

It would help if you offered physical support. You can assist your patients physically by performing house chores, shopping, aiding them to walk around the house, etc. In essence, be an active part of their lives as your services can go a long way to helping them improve.

Teaching Them Independence

One of the aims of being a support worker is to help your wards become independent and handle things on their own. You need to teach them skills that will facilitate their improvement and participation in community development. Skills like money budgeting, risk management, and so on can be helpful.

Benefits of Being a Support Worker

There are several benefits you earn from being a support worker. Some of them are explained below.

Satisfaction and Joy of Service

It is said that performing jobs that you are passionate about gives you a lot of joy and life satisfaction. As a support worker, you are sure to provide value and impact people’s lives. Indeed, you will feel happy every day of your life because you are giving the service.

Job Flexibility

Being a support worker allows you to personalise your work periods, depending on your schedule or preference. You can choose to work based on your commitments or strict shifts. It is better than doing a compulsory 9 to 5 job that you might not enjoy.

Career Development

While working as a care worker, your career is always at the receiving end. The job helps you build skills and lifestyles that fit you into other jobs and occupations. While you move up your career ladder and gain higher positions, you are bound to earn more qualifications.

Employment Security

There are increased needs for support workers, meaning that you can never be out of employment. This aspect of health service is growing in significance daily, so you are in the industry for a lifetime.

Self-Improvement

A personal care worker has ample and endless opportunities for self-improvement. Your job experiences help your decisions and vital areas of your life. Just as earlier started, you need to exhibit patience and understanding when dealing with the people in need of your services. These personal skills are necessary for everyday living, as they improve your relationship with your clients and with people generally.

Challenges Associated With Being a Support Worker

Being a support care worker is not all rosy, as there are difficulties associated with the job. They are explained below.

Difficult Clients

Sometimes, you can be faced with challenging clients. These periods stand to test your level of patience and understanding. For instance, caring for the aged ones and aiding people who have disabilities or severe disorders may be difficult, as they can be over-sensitive or easily upset. Sometimes, they exhibit these characters because of personal struggles or frustrations. Although these feelings can be lashed out on close relatives, support workers are not excluded.

Losing Clients To Death

There is unique grief that comes with losing a patient to death. Although you might not be the only one handling the grief, other support workers will share their experiences, and families of the deceased will appreciate you for your efforts. As support personnel, you are bound to connect emotionally with your clients because of how much time you spend together.

Uncontrollable Irregular Work Hours

It is almost inevitable to have irregularities in your shift periods. Conditions like staff unavailability or staff shortage can emerge and cause you to work beyond your stipulated periods. Sometimes, emergencies can come up, and you are the only available personnel to handle the situation.

Do I Need Grades To Be a Support Worker?

Grades are not necessarily a criterion for being a support worker. Instead, passion and love for people’s wellbeing are the certificates to being a support worker. You need to prove that you can be supportive and helpful to people in need. Also, it would help if you had some level of experience in the health sector or handling and dealing with people generally.

Pointers to Determine If Being a Support Worker Is For You?

Certain cogent qualities will determine if you can be a support worker or not. They are explained below:

If your family, friends, or other people always turn to you whenever they are upset or troubled, and you always want to help, you can consider being a support worker.
If you are patient and have good listening qualities, you might just be the support worker that many people need.
Do you enjoy performing chores for people who cannot handle theirs? If yes, you can make good support personnel.
If you are always concerned about helping people live an independent life? Then you have the quality of a support worker.