I see you & want to help

Research experiments repeatedly demonstrated that under conditions requiring us to endure a significant level of stress, humans experience a rapid depletion of attention, cognitive capacity, and what we think of as ‘willpower’.

Translation: no matter how good your intention, confronted with a long-enough stream of pressures and frustrations, eventually you will cave and become overwhelmed.

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There is no typical day for you as an aged care worker. Every single shift has the potential to be momentous, exhilarating, exhausting, energising, or all of the above. On any given day, you see people at their weakest and most vulnerable, or at their strongest and most resolute. You witness this with such regularity it's become par for the course.

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Conversations I have with health workers often go something like this:

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Me: Hey, how’s everything going?

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Aged care worker: You know, it’s busy, It’s always busy. I feel like I am on a treadmill, constantly running everywhere but not getting anywhere. I just want to do my job and take care of people.

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Me: I understand, what’s stops you from doing your job?

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Aged care worker: Right now, it feels like there is so much paperwork and administration that takes me away from being with my clients. It’s become more about the rules and less about what people need.

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Me: I hear you. Sounds like you’re up against it. Trying to do the right thing but being stretched thin at the same time, which creates perception that you’re not achieving anything and rushing so much that you are fearful of missing something or making a mistake.

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Aged care worker: Exactly, and it’s not getting any better. Most days I feel a sense of urgency, competing demands, an inability to get everything done, and a cycling of thoughts, exploding my cognitive load. But in amongst the challenges I see opportunity for change, I know things could be done better, easier. But knowing and doing are two different kettle of fish.

Solving problems, making change requires resources. Time, energy, money. Resources that you may not have. It requires a plan, consultation, collaboration, permissions, and approvals. How can you get all of this done and still provide front line care? The demands of doing the work and working on the work are constantly at odds, competing for any time and energy you have.

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And yet if you do manage to weave your way through and decide the time is now for action, what if it fails? Why take the risk? At least you know what you’re dealing with at present. Everyone is doing the same so it’s not really a problem. You could keep doing the same. You could do what everyone else is doing.

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Because escape from this set of circumstances may seem largely impossible, you have become habituated to some form of chronic, low-grade misery. Willingly enduring ongoing overwhelm, coping as best you can. Clearly, this is not a state that predisposes one towards, doing your best work.

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Righto: so here’s the deal: before you embark on any workplace change, it helps to understand the nature of the real-work context in which that effort is taking place.

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It helps to instil the practices and perspectives that give you the best possible advantage in dealing with your workplace dynamics. It helps to acquire skills that empower you to operate successfully within them.

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That in essence, is the strategy behind b.school4homecare. Many of the tactics amount to Pilates moves – the use of artful, subtle, low-effort shifts that achieve major leverage and some surprisingly big results. Its large promise lies in the process of making your experience at work better, easeful, and more rewarding than whatever you have been doing (or dread doing) while improving outcomes for your clients.

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So, just for now, let’s set aside all the struggle. Let’s ease up on the blame and the should and the if only’s. Instead, let’s take a closer look at what’s going on in the evolving space of in-home aged care, TOGETHER.

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If this sounds like your experience at present, then we are here to help. If you are struggling, stressed or seeking assurance in the in-home aged care space, then reach out.

We have a super launch special where you can access 18 months of support for the price of 12 months.