Much as we want our clients to have their family around them, there are some occasions when all live-in carers wish that they would just go away for a bit and leave things alone.
In the case of most of the clients that you will take care of, you will see a pattern developing when the family visit their loved one. It almost seems like your client summons up all their strength to be chatty and sociable while the family is there, and then as soon as they have left, they deflate in exhaustion, leaving you with a client who feels ill and is overly tired.
How often is too much?
This depends on each client and will differ depending on the health issues that your client has. However, if you notice that the days after a visit are a nightmare for both you and your client, then you may want to approach the subject of visiting.
Unfortunately, family often live some distance away and tend to then visit for entire days at a time, simply to save travelling. If they choose to stay in the house with you and your client, you may try to discuss shorter times with their loved one, so instead of sitting and chatting for the entire morning, perhaps they could chat for a shorter period and then leave mom to rest until the afternoon.
Evenings are normally very busy times and having family in the picture can mean that they expect your client to stay up later than normal, leaving you to work until later hours. Again, it is important that you address these issues with the family and ask to keep to the regular routine as much as possible.
Compromising your client’s immune system
Most of the clients that live-in carers stay with have compromised immune systems, this is one of the reasons why they have a carer in the first place.
Introducing germs to an already compromised immune system only creates more problems, for both your client and you.
There may come a time when you become concerned that if you are ill, you cannot safely take care of their loved one and this is a good time to have a serious chat with one or two members of the family.
Once you have explained your concerns, most people will see that excessive visiting, even though this is what they would like to do, simply is not a good idea if it means that they spread germs to you.
Talk to your agency
If you have not received any joy in discussing the visiting issue with family, then you should contact your agency. They may be able to approach the family and speak to them on a more professional level.
To sum up
Vulnerable people such as our clients are always more susceptible to germs and it is imperative that we as carers take care not to spread germs ourselves and to limit anyone else bringing them into the house. In this instance it is far better to be safe than sorry.
Remember that if you are ill you cannot work, and possibly you may not be able to stay in your client’s house either, so taking care of yourself and your client should be your number one priority.
Tags:
© 2025 EJOBBOARD LTD. All Rights Reserved.