Wishing you a caring Christmas and New Year

Christmas can be joyous and wonderful, full of family, fun, laughter, and general over-eating, family time. But it can be lonely. The portal of Christmas is always happy families, people around large tables, children crammed onto sofas together. But what if you don’t have that? What if you are alone? Your family has grown and moved away, moved abroad, your health not what it was, your days long, and empty, filled only with the memories of Christmas past?

Phil Ashwell, director at Ashwell Home Care Services says, “Christmas can be a challenging time for those who are alone, but our care companions always strive to make the day a little special for our clients. We always leave enough room in their schedules for a cup of tea and a chat, so on Christmas day, they can eat a mince pie, pull a cracker, wear a hat, and enjoy a terrible joke! All our staff will always go out of their way to make sure that anyone alone on Christmas Day doesn’t feel lonely.”

All across the country offices, factories, schools, shops, and businesses close their doors on Christmas Eve and head home to their families. But caring doesn’t stop. All caring industries from the emergency services to the health and social care industry remain open. Many people spend their Christmas Day caring for others, for those that need our help. Our care companions are no different. Phil says, “In some companies, everyone wants Christmas Day off, but at Ashwell Home Care Services our care companions are always happy to work on Christmas Day because they know the difference that they are making.”

It can be easy to be sucked into the commercialism of Christmas, to succumb to the frenzy of consumption. It can be easy to forget about the important things in the world. Last Christmas, subjected as we were to restrictions, the gift most of us wanted was to see our families. Let us hope that we haven’t forgotten that wish in the Christmas hype this year. Let us hope that we have remembered that our presence is more important than our presents. When our care companions visit a client, it is their presence that is so important, it is that time with another human, that interaction, that love that makes the difference. The tasks they carry out, the medicines given, the meals cooked, the food bought, are all incredibly important but it is also the comfort of another person. It is two mugs by the kettle instead of one. It is the murmur of conversation rather than the deathly silence of the endless ticking clock. Giving isn’t just a physical action, giving comes in many forms. A care companion is giving all the time, the gift of compassion, the gift of affection, the gift of comfort. We bring reassurance, kindness, and care. And after all, isn’t that the true meaning of Christmas?

Care in Crisis

There are 100,000 job vacancies across the care sector. Just take a moment and let that sink in. Now imagine how much care that represents, that is simply not being delivered. How many elderly people are waiting? Waiting for over-worked carers to arrive? Waiting for a bed in the care home that they desperately need? Waiting to be discharged from hospital for a care package to allow them to live independently at home? Waiting for a home care company to have enough staff to fit them in? Waiting…

This is not a temporary crisis; this is not a supply chain glitch that will be ironed out in a few months. Phil Ashwell, director at Ashwell Home Care Services, says “We are in a perfect storm. The combination of the pandemic, Brexit, and the double jab ruling for care home workers has created this crisis.” The media have not helped with their endless portrayal of the care industry as failing, as a low-skilled sector, as a last resort. Actually, it is none of those things.

The care sector is remarkable.  It is kind, compassionate, dedicated. It allows you to progress without a degree, it welcomes everyone. In the care sector, you can work your way up from a care assistant to an area team leader. It is flexible and dynamic. In what other sector can you work around your life? It is rewarding and fulfilling. There are thousands of people across the country who are living a better life because of the care sector. Thousands of people, of all ages, greeting their carers with a smile, looking forward to seeing them. Thousands of people receiving care to help them live the best life they can, because of the care sector. The care sector is incredible.

But what can you do? How can you help to ensure that our care sector continues to do what it does best – care. You can talk about it with your family, to your children looking for careers, to your neighbour who wants a part-time job, to the waitress in the café with the overbearing boss looking for a change in direction. And you can say, what a wonderful thing to be able to do, to help people, to make an actual difference in the lives of others. How many get that opportunity, how many of us get that chance?

Phil says, “The care sector is resilient. Carers will deliver care when faced with enormous adversity, from snowstorms to pandemics. But we do need more people.” Ashwell Home Care Services does have enough care staff, but only because they keep their care staff, by treating them with respect and appreciation, as well as paying above the industry average. “We have seen the number of applicants drop off, by 80%, which makes finding the right people incredibly hard,” says Phil. “Fortunately, we have a reputation as a good employer, so we still have people wishing to work for us, which means that we can continue to deliver excellent care to those who need it most.”

If you are in the Worcester area and interested in a career in care then we would love to hear from you, take a look at our careers page to find out more.