Satisfaction through supporting others

Demand is high for support workers. Photo / Herald on Sunday

In the past 10 years there has been a growing recognition of the importance of people taking on support roles for the disabled, aged, and injured.

At the forefront of this help are support workers who go to people's houses and provide assistance with ablutions, medication, doctors appointments, days out and more.

John Wade is CEO of Iris, an organisation under the auspices of the Cerebral Palsy Society that serves people who have: cerebral palsy; physical disabilities e.g. spinal bifida; intellectual or multiple disability; chronic health conditions; injury (serious and non serious), including people with disabling medical conditions and high and complex needs.

Rosina Clarke was a teacher's aid for special needs children when she decided to become a support worker. She saw an advertisement asking for a caregiver, had an interview, and then contacted the agency concerned. She got the position and worked with the person until she passed away.

"Working as a support worker is totally different from working with children who tend to move on to other schools. You work with these people for a long time."

She says she really enjoys her work. "The best thing is the people. My youngest client was a 4-year-old with cerebral palsy, my oldest is 93. Not only do I build up relationships with my clients, I also develop relationships with their families."

Clarke says her duties included personal care (such as helping clients in the shower), providing lunch, home help, taking clients shopping and for medical appointments.

She says Iris provides various courses for support workers. "It's great - you learn a lot of things and meet other people in support services. It's compulsory for us to do five courses, but we can do more."

Wade says people become support workers typically by applying to work in the health and/or disability field with a service provider - usually with a community non-government organisation.

"Many enter the workforce untrained and with little experience but this is gradually changing. Many have personal experience of caring for a disabled person and are then attracted into the field," he says.

The last five years has seen some significant action by government (MoHealth and DHB) to create a training and qualifications pathway for the disability support workforce.

This as included a NZQA national level 2 qualification that is gradually becoming the minimum required qualification. Also, there is a level 3 national qualification, which many are now progressing to, Wade says.

He says there is potential for staff to develop a career pathway, to rise to more senior roles with more responsibility, capability and autonomous practice.

The personal attributes required of a caregiver is to be:"Caring and compassionate; have a positive outlook, be optimistic and hopeful; be a good listener and communicator; have patience; and have a good temperament.

This means not being volatile or unpredictable; having a sense of humour; a willingness to advocate on behalf of people; and be honest and trustworthy," Wade says.

"Demand is high - though in part due to high turnover of staff in the industry - partly due to low pay and transient workforce that includes students," he says.