While some people may think that live-in care work is not for them, one of the mistaken reasons may be because of their diets.
This poses the question of whether you can be a live-in carer even though you have a specialised diet, and the answer is yes, you can.
While any agency will tell you how to take care of your client and their individual diets, what they tend to overlook sometimes is that carers can also have specialist diets. This should not preclude you from accepting a placement.
Overall, the client that you will go to will have a ‘normal diet’. By this we mean that they will eat three meals a day and probably have ingredients that most people already have in their kitchens.
Breakfast may be along the lines of porridge, eggs or toast. Lunch may be either a main meal with meat, vegetables and a dessert and supper could be a light meal of quiche, salad or soup.
So, how will this affect a special diet?
Your agency will tell you that you can eat the same food as your client. This is included in your living agreement. If you do not eat any of the items you cook for your client you can choose to eat ‘other things.’ If the ‘other things’ still form part of what you would normally cook for your client, then you can change one for another.
If you would normally add an item to the shopping list, you are within your rights to have it on your menu.
For example: if you do not eat potatoes or rice and you cook vegetables for your client, you may cook a little more for yourself and omit potatoes or rice from your diet.
The basic rule is that if you eat the same things as your client you can buy without guilt.
What about a different diet?
While there are some families and clients who will accept that you need different things on your own menu and pay for them, the agency policy is that if your diet differs from what your client would normally buy, then you need to pay for it yourself.
For example: if you are a vegetarian or vegan and eat nuts and tofu instead of meat, you will be liable to pay for them yourself. If you do not, you will be increasing the shopping expenses your client needs to feed herself.
It is quite acceptable if the family ask you what they should buy for you before you arrive. You may ask for things such as peanut butter or skimmed milk. These are considered staple items and they should not refuse you adding them to the shopping. However, adding items which your client will never eat, and buy is something that you cannot expect.
To sum up
If your diet fits the regular shopping basket, you are within your rights to ask for it. If you must add things that your client has never, or will never eat, then you may be asked to pay for them yourself.
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