Working in complex care
Suzie Hutchinson, who has qualified as a Care Practitioner, reveals why she loves working in complex care, which is given to people who have chronic or long-term health problems.
Suzie, who started off working as a Care Assistant at Frome Nursing Home, found the care home was different to anywhere she had worked before due to its attitude to people needing complex care.
During her time at the home, she was promoted to Team Leader. Now five years on she has progressed onto being a Care Practitioner.
She said: “The residents are on different stages of their dementia journey and some have complex behaviours, yet their independence is highly encouraged which I’ve never experienced at other care services I’ve worked at before.
‘We learn to embrace each individual’s complexities’
“As a carer at Evolve we learn to embrace each individual’s complexities that often comes with dementia.”
It can be hard to understand sometimes what a person with dementia wants or needs as they can struggle to communicate and can get frustrated.
“When I came to Frome, I saw family members bond with team members on a level I’d not seen before, and I loved it,” said Suzie.
She admits it “can be difficult when we sometimes spend hours trying to understand a person’s needs, but team members I work with will not give up on meeting someone’s needs.
“The relief when we figure it out and see the happiness it brings to that family member is great. Words and actions can be mixed, and sometimes someone who is complex may only be able to communicate physically or may be repetitive in their communication.
‘It’s great to see complex care being embraced’
“It’s great to see complex care being embraced and family members given a new lease of life. Let’s face it, everyone loves someone with character.
“This is their journey now, and anyone caring for someone with dementia has to take that ride with them, which comes with the good and the bad and a whole lot of emotions. The better you understand someone, the more you can provide 100 times better care for that person.”
“During our Care Practitioner course, it gave me a kick up the bum and made me think, you know what? I can do this! I’d love to be able to go on a nursing course and if I were to ever become a nurse, I couldn’t see myself working in a hospital, I would definitely stay here as the training is another perk about my job, it’s really out there and imaginative and different from other places I’ve worked, it’s through the roof!”
Suzie has a piece of advice for anyone beginning their career in care.
“Just be yourself, if it’s something you genuinely want to do because you’re caring and want to make a difference, you can’t go wrong, just be you”.