The value of care home workers and using innovation to reduce the burden

By Greg Whelan

WORKING in a care home is a challenging job that requires physical, mental and emotional strength. Caregivers provide care for vulnerable, elderly and sick people which can be stressful and painful at times.

This article identifies the challenges that caregivers face at work and how care home owners and managers can help.

It will also look at how innovation and new products can help reduce the burden on carers and reduce the financial burden to care home owners, whilst contributing to the growth of the care home industry.

Understanding the challenges of care home work

Caregivers work in an environment providing care for residents with complex and diverse needs.

This can be physically demanding work as caregivers help residents with tasks such as bathing, dressing, feeding, and toileting.

Caregivers also help residents move around, which can be challenging, especially if the resident suffers mobility issues or is bedridden.

Apart from the physical demands, caregivers must also have the strength to cope with the emotional demands of the job.

Caregivers often work with residents who suffer from dementia or other illnesses that affect their memory and behaviour.

This can lead to challenging situations that require patience, empathy, and a calm and reassuring presence.

Additionally, the job of a caregiver is mentally demanding. Caregivers must be able to communicate effectively with residents, their families, and other healthcare professionals.

They must also be able to manage medication schedules, monitor residents’ vital signs, and respond quickly to emergencies.

How care home owners and managers can help

Care home owners and managers acknowledge that they have a responsibility to create a supportive environment for caregivers and that they have the necessary resources and support to do their job effectively.

This includes providing training, adequate staffing levels, and appropriate equipment and resources.

One of the biggest challenges that care homes face though is staffing shortages.

*According to the ONS, there were almost 1.5 million estimated open job adverts as a daily average during December 2022.

Healthcare accounted for almost 190,000, or 12.7 per cent of all vacancies.

Healthcare also accounted for the two occupations with the largest number of job adverts nationwide, with 31,870 adverts for support workers and 21,170 for nurses.

To overcome staffing shortages, care home-owners and managers can explore new technologies and products that reduce the burden on carers.

For example, Wellell Inc. offers innovative products such as the allin-one “Optima Turn Mattress”.

This product provides automatic continuous patient lateral turning for pressure injury prevention and healing, which can reduce the caregivers workload and help maintain great care home teams.

Innovation and the future of care home work

Innovation is crucial for the future of care home industry.

Care home owners need to explore new ways to reduce the burden on carers and improve the quality of care for residents.

Innovation can also help staffing shortages by providing carers with new tools and resources to make their job easier.

New products and technologies, such as the Wellell’s Optima Turn Mattress, offer a way forward for the care home industry.

By providing caregivers with the tools they need to do their job effectively, care home owners and managers can create a happier, healthier workplace that leads to a happier, healthier workforce.

Care home work is undoubtedly hard, but it is also rewarding.

Caregivers provide care for vulnerable, elderly, and sick people, and their work makes a significant difference in the lives of others.

Care home owners and managers have a responsibility to create a supportive environment for caregivers, and innovation is essential for the future of the profession and the care home industry.

#we’ll care

*Reference from Guardian Richard Partington Economics correspondent Mon 13 Feb 2023 17.05 GMT n Greg Whelan is the product and marketing director at Wellell UK Limited. Call 01905 774695, email gwhelan@wellell.com or visit www. wellell.com