Qualities of a Virtus Care giver in London.

Caregivers are an essential part of the community; their pivotal role has evolved over the years due to the dynamic nature of a caregiver’s task. From acting as a surrogate decision-maker of an non-capacity person to providing legal and financial input to a care recipient; the full scope of a caregivers responsibility is complex. Virtus care workers are meticulously trained and systematically assessed in order to provide high-quality care for these individuals. Our ‘strategic’ framework does not solely concentrate on the care outcome but, the attitude and mindset of a caregiver. Our London based ‘Virtus Care’ and its workers care for the well being of both care recipients and givers. Since caregivers are especially prone to psychological effects at high-risk settings, we foster strong mental health and behaviour in our caregivers.

Virtus care caregivers have a multidimensional role in this setting, the main objective is to support a care-receiver and to help lessen their burden. According to the most recent statistics in the UK, 1 in 8 adults are involved in this role. This equates to a staggering number of 6.5 million people out of which 60% of them are women (NHS Commissioning » Carer Facts – Why Investing in Carers Matters, n.d.).

The complex relationship between a recipient and caregiver depends upon how well the latter can carry out their task, such as supporting an increasingly frail person or carrying out daily and instrumental activities of a bedridden patient. Their expertise should also expand towards clinical knowledge especially when it comes to looking after a dementia or end-stage cancer patient. One should be able to recognise the needs of a recipient, and to excel in this profession a caregiver must have certain skill sets and qualities in this setting.

Empathy in Virtus Care givers:

The fundamental part of being a good caregiver is to empathise with the recipient’s situation. Their new grounding reality can make them vulnerable to stigmatisation and shame. The role of empathy; that is the ability to understand your recipient’s experience constitutes an important attribute among all social workers including caregivers. It allows the patient to express their feelings without constraint and creates emotional stability. Empathetic communication is an important skill set in all walks of professional life. By normalising their feelings and allowing them to vent out their frustrations, one can deem this as a therapeutic approach that can have a positive impact on their psychological well being (Moudatsou et al., 2020). An inept worker who is apathetic towards them will fail to connect with the recipient and therefore hamper their progress.

Virtus Care giver patience:

Patience is a virtue; care receivers include the elderly who are fragile due to their age or ‘high-risk’ populations who require care due to certain pathological conditions. Experts unanimously agree that patience is a necessary attribute when it comes to handling a dependent individual. Their lack of freedom and restricted movement often causes them to be agitated and unwilling to participate in care activities. The ability to endure any psychological stress in such a situation or to make personal compromises is a quality our company prides itself in. This means that one should be particularly patient when they are slow to respond. Sometimes, this situation can put them in an unsocial mood which has to be dealt with fortitude. The Virtus workers actively establish strong communication between each other since this helps them build a strong rapport and strengthen their relationship (Schulz et al., 2016).

Cheerful disposition:

Your temperament has the ability to rub off on others; having the inherent quality of a cheerful demeanour is imperative when dealing with an incompetent patient. Since there is a high prevalence of depression and mental health problems among recipients; your positive attitude can have a significant impact on their mood. Put up a smile on your face during conversations or care activities, this helps them be comfortable around you instead of feeling incompetent. Sometimes a simple smile or a little humour can prevent them from drowning in self-destructive thoughts. According to Merriam and Webster cheerfulness is defined as “lightness of mind and feeling”, this points out the fact that cheerfulness is not just a feeling instead it also encompasses the mind and heart.

Virtus Care clinical knowledge:

Our Virtus care givers are systematically trained to promptly respond to clinical emergencies. Sometimes care activities must also adopt certain clinical skill set in order to carry out the daily tasks. This can include intravenous cannulation method, catheter care in febrile patients, special exercise training in arthritis patients, or organising their medications including the time, possible drug interactions, and side-effects (What Knowledge and Skills Do Caregivers Need? | Article | NursingCenter, n.d.). They are trained to think on their feet and also act as surrogate decision-makers in times of crisis or if the patient is cognitively impaired. Virtus organization, London; have special caregivers required in high-risk settings, caregiver certification and degree is an essential requirement to check for this quality among our workers.

To check out our Virtus Care guides on how to stay safe and healthy during the coronavirus pandemic, check out our most recent blogs; COVID-19 and how to care for people – A guide by Virtus Care

As well as our blog on Self Isolation tips during Covid-19 restrictions.

References:

NHS commissioning » Carer Facts – why investing in carers matters. (n.d.). Retrieved May 23, 2020, from https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/comm-carers/carer-facts/

Moudatsou, M., Stavropoulou, A., Philalithis, A., & Koukouli, S. (2020). The Role of Empathy in Health and Social Care Professionals. Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland), 8(1). https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare8010026

Schulz, R., Eden, J., Adults, C. on F. C. for O., Services, B. on H. C., Division, H. and M., & National Academies of Sciences, E. (2016). Family Caregiving Roles and Impacts. National Academies Press (US). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK396398/

What Knowledge and Skills Do Caregivers Need? | Article | NursingCenter. (n.d.). Retrieved May 23, 2020, from https://www.nursingcenter.com/journalarticle?Article_ID=815783&Journal_ID=54030&Issue_ID=815760

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