It’s nice to think that you’ll be sent to a sweet person who likes the same things you do and wants to visit the same places you enjoy. The reality is that this is very seldom the case.
It is very likely that your placements will be with people who have very different views of things as you do, and while your agency may try to match you with a like-minded client, you may find that you are with someone who is very different to you.
Differences in foods are quite common, as are different likes in activities, but possibly one of the most common difference between you and your client will be religion.
You may find that your client is an avid churchgoer while you attend church occasionally or maybe not at all. You may even attend entirely different churches.
How to respond if you are asked to go with your client?
This is a tricky situation, to say the least. You may feel that it is the ‘right thing to do’ when asked to attend church with your client. But is it the best?
Whether you attend church with your client (assuming that it is not your normal denomination) largely depends on your client and their state of health. If your client can be helped into the pew at church and left unattended until the end of the service, then you may be able to discuss this as an option.
If your client simply cannot be left unattended and wants to go to church, then you need to consider other options. If friends or family live close enough to take your client to church, then you may be able to take your time off while they are at church.
The third situation that may happen is if your client sincerely wants to attend church, needs to be assisted and has no-one to go with her. In this instance you may need to put your own views behind you and attend with your client. There may simply be no other way, and even though it may not be your denomination, your job as a carer is to make your client’s life easier.
To sum up
At the end of the day, putting aside your own religious beliefs in order to help your client may be one of those things that you simply do. In most cases you will find that someone else takes your client to church, but every so often you might be the only person who can do it.
You should remember that no-one is forcing you to believe what your client believes, and your own beliefs are still yours, but sometimes it is better to go with your client and enjoy a peaceful relationship while you are there, than to have one that is fraught with tension over one day a week.
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