Different routes

Carers join us from a variety of different routes – some straight from school, some as a career change and others, like David Hood, after personal experience draws them to the profession.
David’s father suffered a series of conditions that reduced his mobility, including a stroke. When David was made redundant from his job at a local print and label company he became his dad’s carer.
“I looked after Dad for over 20 years with the help of visits from care support,” said David. “I used to double up with them to help lift dad and one of them suggested I could get a job in care. When Dad died I decided to give it a go with Caremark Redcar and Cleveland.”
That was two years ago and David has never looked back. He believes the key is to treat everyone as an individual, gain their trust and understand what their particular needs are.
“There’s one customer I am booked for a domestic call, helping with cleaning and the like. His daughter would rather I took her dad out for a walk and some social contact. That’s fine by me, we are there to help the customer and their family. We walk around the areas he used to work and he tells me about his life,” said David.
Another of David’s customers has worked all over the world including India and Australia and likes to talk about the different animals he saw there, whilst another talks about his time as a homeless person.
“The social side is very important as we might be the only people some customers see in a day,” said David. “A customer might have dementia and a conversation whilst delivering care can help them to remember things.”