More than 5 years.
I am a certified personal support worker, and my care work began as a live-in caregiver for a person with autism. Since then I have worked on hospital and long-term care floors, in community home care, and one-on-one with private clients, including two palliative care clients at home. Each setting taught me the same thing: people feel safest when a calm, familiar routine shows up every day.
Daily care is the heart of my work. I assist with bathing and toileting, oral care, dressing and grooming, meal preparation and assisted feeding, medication reminders and light housekeeping. I help with ambulation, positioning and transferring using mechanical lifts and mobility devices, and I support range-of-motion exercises as directed by a physiotherapist. On facility floors I answer call bells promptly and relay what I observe to the assigned nurse.
In palliative care, comfort comes first. I stay in close contact with the palliative care team, the family and the care coordinator, keep a communication log book, and report behavioral, physical and cognitive changes, and any unsafe condition, as soon as I notice them, so small signals are not missed.
Before home care I worked in a hospital in clinic, admissions and patient liaison roles, scheduling procedures, taking vital signs before consultation and explaining pre- and post-surgical steps. That background helps me escort clients to medical appointments and speak clearly with clinics and offices.
I follow each client’s support plan and the goals written there, because care should protect who someone is, not only what they can still do. Dignity, patience and honest reporting are what you can count on.
