Yati, 35, a full-time taxi driver and a care worker outside of work, believes that the need for carers has increased recently due to coronavirus so providing extra support is a blessing for him.
When asked how he manages time between taxi driving and care work, he said that as he is a taxi driver, it is not a challenge for him. He drives to provide care when and wherever the recruiting agency asks him to go.
Embed from Getty ImagesMoreover, community care is not as much of a demanding job for Yati as it is not 9 to 5 work for him. Most of the time he chooses the evening slot so that he can provide care after his shift as a taxi driver during the day.
The only fear he has is the thought of being a potential carrier of Covid-19 which, in turn, could affect the people he cares for. And as a driver, he comes into contact with lots of different people. He added: ‘Looking after patients is a very tough task, while restrictions caused by Covid-19 make it even tougher.’
Pamela is a mother to a 16 year old, and is working in a care home in Hailsham. She is a property agent in Eastbourne, but provides care to dementia patients outside of work hours. As she is a voluntary carer, she has to manage to buy personal protective equipment (PPE), gloves and masks on her own.
She said: ‘as compared to nurses and doctors in a care home who can go home after finishing the 12 hours shift, voluntary carers cannot go home until they finish their 24 hour slots, which is more [difficult] sometimes.’
Mental health caregiving requires an in-depth understanding of each patient and their living environments.
While doing care work, Pamela is also concerned about her son who is considered vulnerable to Covid-19. She, like Yati, could potentially be easily exposed to the virus.
In order to protect her son, she has to stay in isolation when testing for Covid-19 until she gets a negative result. Staying away from her son is a matter of concern for her as there is no one to look after him when she is away from him.
Pamela’s own physical health has been affected by her caregiving duties during the pandemic. As she is a diabetic, she is more vulnerable to be affected by the virus.
But she still wants to continue caring, as she loves the patients and the support she gives to them makes a great difference in their lives.
