Many people would like to help the sick; however, not all people can afford the training to become a doctor or nurse and some do not want to work in large hospitals or clinics. The job of Home Care Worker is a great option and perfect for people who care about others and want to help them or their families through the difficulties of illness.
THIS is one of the careers of the future and is becoming a very important part of medical care, particularly for people who are dying from AIDS-related illnesses. There is a growing need for all types of workers in this field and it’s possible to work part-time or full-time, as a trained health worker or as a volunteer.
Why is Home Care growing as a medical option?
– People who are dying can sometimes be sick for a long time, but cannot afford to stay in hospital
– Hospitals and clinics can be far away from home, especially in rural areas.
– Sometimes a sick person cannot get to hospital or feels very isolated and lonely if they are in hospital and cannot be visited by their friends and family.
– Our hospitals and clinics are overworked and very full.
– Ill people can often feel better when they are at home. They can still be part of the family, eat the foods they like and be in familiar surroundings.
– If the person is sick for a long time, it is easier for the family if they can carry on with their usual work and chores, instead of spending time and money travelling to visit at the hospital.
At the moment, there are many families who are looking after a sick or dying loved one at home, but they do not have much information or support. It can be very difficult to try and cope with this alone. Sometimes the parents have already died and the children are looking after each other, or the person who is sick has lost their job and there is no money for proper food and medicine. Sometimes there are so many things to do that everyone in the family gets stressed and sick. With the spread of HIV/AIDS these problems are growing, and the government, NGOs and communities are looking at new ways to deal with them.
You do not need to be a trained doctor to offer some help. There are many things you can do that don’t need medical training; for example, visit regularly to talk to the sick person and cheer them up, help to clean the home, look after the children, run errands or read the newspaper to someone who can no longer do so.
”People in my community know that I do this kind of work and if I am visiting someone, they will come and ask me to visit their family too. I feel called by God to volunteer to do this kind of work.” — Home Care Worker
With some basic training you can also help to give medicines, bath the patients, clean sores and wounds and take the sick person to the clinic when they need medical treatment. You can also teach the family and community about HIV/AIDS, healthy eating and basic First Aid and home care.
”I go and visit about 50 people once a week. If someone is very sick I go every day. I look at their medicines to check that they are taking the right amounts at the right times and sometimes I clean around their house or make them something to eat. I talk to the family about what to do to make the patient comfortable and how to avoid getting infected themselves.” — Home Care Worker
If you like talking to people you can be very supportive by chatting and listening to the patient and the family. You can do a counselling course and counsel people. If you are drawn to it, you can support those who are dying. You can help them prepare for their death and feel at peace (it is difficult to talk about dying in our culture, and there is a lot of healing work to be done in this area). You can also counsel the family who has to cope with the death. If you prefer working with groups of people, you can start regular support groups so that people can talk about their common problems, find comfort or share their solutions and coping skills.
Clinics, health workers, NGOs and other organisations run courses that teach skills needed for home care and you can also find pamphlets and books that will give you more information. This is a career of the new millennium and you have an opportunity to create your own way of contributing to the health and happiness of your community. Do what you’re good at and use your skills and talents in a way that is useful to others.
”When I am looking after a patient, I do my best to try and help that person and give them comfort so that they can feel happy despite their sickness. They are glad to see me whenever I visit. When a patient gets better I feel very happy because my work has been worthwhile. Even when a patient dies I feel sad, but I know they did not die alone without care.” — Home Care Worker
Activity 1: Understanding the problem
Aim
To help learners identify the needs of patients and their families
Activity
Ask learners to think about the last time they felt really sick and to make a list of what they would have liked — anything from help with their homework, a get-well card from the class or a lift to the doctor. Push them to really think about it from all aspects. Did they feel depressed, lonely or bored? Did one of their parents have to take time off work? Did they get behind in their school work? How did they want to be treated.
In pairs, ask the learners to share their ”Needs List” and to talk about other things that they think would be important to people who are sick at home for a long time.
Activity 2: Entrepreneurs of the New Age
Aim
To encourage learners to identify their skills and examine ways of contributing to home-based care in their community.
Activity
Divide learners into groups of four or five and tell them that they are going to develop a home care business in their community
Each member of the group must think of something they can do and then the group must work out a way of taking the services into the community.
They should consider how they will let people know about their services and whether their business will be paid for or sponsored by big companies, or if they will volunteer their services.
Each group should present their business to the whole class. They can do an advertisement, a poster or a presentation. Ask the class to vote for the best business ideas.
Follow-up activities
Learners can:
Research home care skills and information and find out about training opportunities in your area
Volunteer their services to community organisations
Support people in the community that they know need help. Please ask them to be sensitive to the fact that some people do not want everyone to know how sick they are and remind them that if they offer this service they must be prepared to commit themselves and not let people down.
— The Teacher/Mail & Guardian, August 3, 2000.
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