During the pandemic and lockdowns, thoughts went out to the elderly that were stuck inside and away from their families. But what’s the opinion of those whose jobs were to care for these people?
Lauren Rhys-smith, 20, from Devon, reveals her first-hand experience of being a carer during the pandemic.
Lauren began her caring career two years ago, just before the Covid-19 pandemic began. Her hopes to become a paramedic technician led her to care work, believing that it would be a good stepping stone in helping her gain experience in looking after people. But no-one expects a global pandemic to welcome them into a new job.
“The reality of being a nurse is very different to what people think, and with the pandemic, I felt unprepared for what we were getting into.”
Lauren works for an agency that provides care to the elderly. Unlike traditional care homes, the agency sends out workers to people’s houses to provide additional help.
“The elderly patients that lived with their families were a lot better off, the ones that lived alone obviously had more of a tough time with the isolation and not being able to do anything.”
During the lockdowns, many people struggled with loneliness due to lack of socialisation and being stuck inside. Even now, many are struggling. In December 2021, the Mental Health Foundation (MHF) and Independent Age have conducted research and found that Covid infection levels have left many older people feeling anxious and lonely.
Lauren believes that the visits from carers were the highlight of the patient’s days.
“For many, the carers are their only form of social interaction and even then, I think they find it difficult, because they can’t see our faces.”
Carers are required to wear PPE, which includes masks, when caring for their patients. It is something that Lauren believes will continue for a long time in the care industry, but she understands that it makes it difficult for some of the clients to form bonds with their carers.
“I think some of them find it [not seeing our faces] difficult, because they obviously can’t read our facial expressions. Sometimes they can get a bit upset so I’ve stood outside before and taken off my mask so that they can see what I look like, and they can see who is looking after them.”
As part of her job, Lauren sometimes has to look after patients who are positive for Covid-19.
“If a person is positive, then we have to wear more PPE. The agency is really good because they’ve given us a lot of guidance on how to protect ourselves.”
Asking whether she has ever felt like giving up on such a full-on job, Lauren believes that the positives outweigh all of the negatives:
“Even though it’s difficult work, you never get bored because every day is different. It was hard, there’s no doubt about that, but I never thought of giving up because I know what I’m doing makes a difference.”
