Successful working relationships with disability support workers
Written by Maree Ireland.
Maree in a meeting.
I have had many, many workers since 1994. There are a number of workers I remember. These workers usually stayed for a number of years and only personal circumstances made them leave. Alternatively there are workers who haven’t worked out and there are now workers I now tolerate because of the shortage of workers. There are also shifts i.e. morning shifts going to work where the relationship purely concentrates on tasks to get me out the door on time.
Thinking about the “most successful” relationships with workers I would say the relationship had the following characteristics;
There must be a sense of:
- “connectedness”
- the worker will and can follow instructions – without questioning
- similar interest and lifestyle
- willingness to share life stories and events
- understanding about my needs
- High self esteem by the worker and sense of equality
- Not a do goody attitude
- Similar cultural beliefs
- Understanding not all shifts are the same
These are my present thoughts.
Hi Maree, Does every direct support relationship have to work these characteristics out or have these characteristics, is it ever ‘explicit’and is there any support to discover this? Does it change from worker to worker, or from the other end, client to client? My gut feeling is that – as in all releationships in my life – that it would take time to ’suss’ each other out a bit – some grow deeper and other remain task/activity focussed as that is the only ‘çonnection’ sometimes. What is your experience?