r/supportworkers

Hello like the title says I am new to this job. I'm currently onboarding and waiting for clearances to come back so I haven't officially started yet. But What are some things that you would have found really helpful to know in the beginning or like maybe items that proved useful? Habits? Anything really that made this job the best it can be? I have read a lot and I know it can be difficult but I really want to help people and make a difference. My son is adhd and on the spectrum so I know what its like to need extra support. And if I can come in extra prepared that would be ideal! Thanks so much in advance!

Does this sort of role exist or I’m looking for a unicorn? (Please be kind, I’m brand new to the world of support work so trying to learn what’s feasible before changing job roles, and I really appreciate your expertise)

I would love to provide light housekeeping, laundry, organising, gardening, food prep, attending appointments, making sure the home is safe and providing company to one or two clients. I could potentially be the ‘overnight’ person if someone had a procedure and nobody to stay with them.

I have a background in community services and have worked with clients with disabilities, hoarding challenges, addiction… all sorts. My daughter is also an NDIS participant so I understand the process from the other side.

Unfortunately I am not able to manage heavy equipment like wheelchairs or hoists or wrangle people in and out of clothing due to an autoimmune illness that affects my joint strength so it would be unsafe for the client. Hence looking for a lighter duties role. I’m absolutely fastidious when it comes to cleaning though so if a client wanted a clean tidy space I’d nail that!

I wondered if older people with families who live too far away to help might be a good client base? Do people advertise themselves privately or do I need an agency? Would an agency even be interested in my potential offering?

Thank you for your advice

Had one of those shifts where the client said no to pretty much every activity we had planned. No outing, no cooking, no walk, nothing. I didn’t want to keep pushing and make them more frustrated, but I also didn’t want to spend the whole shift sitting there doing nothing. How do experienced workers usually handle this?

Topic warning: big old rant.

Why is it that those working in the office are so out of touch with how things ACTUALLY work in reality. I’m in Australia, so NDIS related. I’m in SIL houses. The house managers are the only ones that know anything about day to day occurrences. Their managers visit the house once in a blue moon, managing from the headquarters. Their managers haven’t visited a house in who the fuck knows when. The other office workers? Haha they’ve never visited a house because they have never even been a support worker. The amount of jobs I’ve been declined because x, y, z have had call centre/ other experience more suited to the job role… bitch I fucking work in the industry already.

“Just ask your manager they can train you in the systems we use, then you can reapply…” with HWAT time would I be able to do this. Precisely when can I approach my manager when he’s not in meetings, sitting in front of his computer getting calls through teams for the entire day. He deals with stupid managers, overbearing family members and incompetent specialists all day.

It feels like without us there is no possible job for anyone “above” us, it feels like we are the lowest rung. Anyone in the office should be treated worse than us. But no we get thrown around like a monkey throws shit. We are the ONLY ones affected by the NDIS cutting funding and we get paid the least while every one else gets to sit down the entire day unless they are having cutesy conversations with their coworkers in the lunch room.

We are the ones sacrificing our personal lives by working weekends, working at 6am, till 11pm, overnights. They get to work from home, get company vehicles, bonuses (probably idk), and they still have the gall to complain about how busy they are. Maybe I should go in there and scream at the top of my lungs for 8 hours, hit and throw shit at them. And then still be expected to get their work done.

Sorry for the rant, I’m feeling quite vulnerable, exhausted from shift and weekend work. My permanent house is also shutting down and my contract keeps getting cut with “promises” of finding me the hours as soon as they can. Yet I know for a fact they aren’t looking. On top of that it feels like the company is willing to throw my extremely vulnerable clients into any other house without what I consider suitable training for the staff where one particular client might go. I genuinely feel like I’m looking at the death of one of my clients in the making and no one is listening.

Edit: I did it gang, we had a lovely chat, then I offered to make her some tea and mentioned that it’s lunch time and she had a jam sandwich. Her family should be very happy with that, as she usually only has breakfast and dinner. That awkwardness over feeling like you are making decisions for them goes away when you know it’s for their wellbeing in the end. Thanks for the advice to those few, I’m going to keep it in mind for the future, it helped a lot.

A question for my aged care support workers, I’m new to the industry entirely, being sent to a lady who has dementia and every time another support worker asks “do you want lunch/cup of tea?” she denies.

I’ve only been to her once before I got us drinking a cup or tea together and she was quite pleased. The other girls greet her, come in and immediately make her lunch without asking and place it in front of her, it does work and the family is happy. But how do you get over that uncomfortable feeling of feeling like you are forcing them to eat and just helping yourself into their fridge?

I’m going to bring my own lunch today to see if that can prompt her, but what’s your way of getting around that feeling?

I’m currently working in warehousing and thinking of going back to uni at some point in the near future (unfinished study).

Warehousing doesn’t seem as flexible and there’s a bit of an expectation of full time availability.

Would support work be a good job to fit studies in with?

If not, could someone perhaps suggest an alternative 6 month health course I could son that would be a better fit with studies?