Carers do more than you realise.

Written by Shelly Freestone.

Myself and my work partner had been doing a normal Am double up round. This is the morning round that requires two carers to look after the clients. These tend to be people that require more care and equipment normally needs two carers to operate. The round consists mainly of getting people up or washing them on the bed depending on their needs and making breakfast.
The last call on that particular morning was an elderly gentleman that was now receiving end of life care. He was expected to live a couple of weeks. We were expecting to wash him and change his pyjamas, keep him comfortable. Family had been spending time with him around the clock and one daughter had spent the night before with him. We put our ppe on as usual. (Personal protective equipment consisting of apron and gloves). The daughter said dad was asleep. She said she had sat by his bed all night and had little sleep. She said his breathing had changed a little and he hadn’t had many sips of water.
My colleague went in first as daughter chatted. My colleague then called me in.
She told me she didn’t think he was breathing. He wasn’t. He was very cold and stiff. His colour had changed and it was clear he had died.
We rang through to our office. It is our first port of call. They hold more information on the client that they are able to pass on to the ambulance service. We were asked about attempting resuscitation but the gentleman had a DR in place. (Do not resuscitate) We could also clearly see it was far too late.
People think a carers job is just to help people with toileting and laugh about the little things we do that they couldn’t or wouldn’t do. We had to tell that mans daughter that we believed her father had died. We held her as she fell to the floor hysterical.
The ambulance service sent two ambulances they came racing to the house, blue lights flashing and paramedics running.
They discovered straight away nothing could be done. The second daughter arrived then. again hysterical. Even though he was end of life they hadn’t expected it yet. The paramedics told them their father had been dead for hours.
The daughter that sat with him that night had convinced herself she could still see his chest moving and hadn’t wanted to admit to herself he was gone.
Our manager arrived to be a support for us and to offer condolences. Our job is to then walk away while family are left to wait for funeral directors.
It was now lunchtime so time to move straight on to our lunch round. Should be providing lunches and assisting with toileting and medication but every day and every call you never really know what your walking in to.
Calls like this are shocking and upsetting but we stay strong for the people we support and the next person we go to see may only see us in a day so they need a happy, positive visit.