Guides · For carers · 4 min read
For new carers, your first visits with a client
How to walk into a stranger's home and leave it as someone they look forward to seeing, from carers who have done it for years.
By the Wrenmoor senior care team ·
Every carer remembers their first visit to a new client. We asked the Wrenmoor team what they wish someone had told them.
Knock, wait, introduce yourself every time
Even if you were here yesterday. Say your name and why you have come. For someone living with dementia, it saves them the worry of pretending to remember.
Read the care plan before you go in
Not in the doorway. In the car, two minutes early. The plan tells you what matters to this person: how they take their tea, which side of the bed they get out of, what they were proud of at work.
Do with, not for
It is quicker to button the cardigan yourself. It is better to hand it over the right way round and wait. Every job someone keeps doing for themselves is a job they keep.
Sit down at least once
Even on a 30-minute visit. Two minutes of sitting at the table and talking is the part of the visit people remember.
Notice, write it down, pass it on
Less food eaten, a new bruise, a strange smell from the fridge, a letter from the hospital. Write it in the notes and ring the office if it worries you. You are the person most likely to spot something early.
Look after your own back and your own head
Use the equipment you have been trained on, every time. And if a visit upsets you, say so. Our senior carers have all had the same days, and there is always someone to talk to.
