Saara’s story: In home care, I get to meet a variety of captivating individuals

I initially trained as a gardener, learning to care for plants, as I didn’t feel ready to look after people when I was younger. However, during my training, I developed persistent allergy symptoms, which led me to reconsider the direction of my life. After graduating, I briefly worked as a magazine seller and in a grocery store.

One day, I noticed an interesting labour market training programme for nursing assistants, and I was eventually selected for it. You could say I was called to work from home, as I hadn’t even had time to look for jobs before I was offered a position as a group assistant in a day-care centre. After working there for a few months, the City of Nokia offered me the opportunity to train as a practical nurse through an apprenticeship. Although I felt that working with older people would suit me better, the training had to be done at a day-care centre, so I carried on working with children for a while.

I graduated as a practical nurse in 2010. A year later, I applied for a summer job in home care and was offered the position. Fourteen years later, I’m still doing this ‘summer job’. Working with older people is rewarding and enriching. In my work in home care, I find it particularly fulfilling to engage with elderly clients in their own homes, where their personalities and life stories often come through strongly.

The clients I am responsible for live within walking distance of each other. I enjoy listening to the birds singing, looking at nature, and spending a few moments in my own thoughts during the working day. It helps me recover, structure my work, and clear my mind of any feelings caused by work.

Changes in the nature of work presented challenges

When I started in home care, my responsibilities were not related to healthcare, but instead aimed at supporting clients’ daily activities. We were watching films and ironing underwear. I provided the clients with advice on how to warm their food and reminded them to take their medication. I looked after five or six clients during the morning shift. My experienced colleagues shared stories of how, at the start of their careers, they not only did major cleaning, but also looked after the household’s goats and cows. I remember how it made me laugh.

The introduction of the ERP system changed the home care practices. The work began to centre more on healthcare tasks. Additionally, care criteria were tightened, which meant that older individuals who had previously been in retirement homes returned to their own homes and started receiving home care. As a result, the number of clients increased significantly. For example, there could be as many as ten clients during a morning shift. Clients had stomas, advanced memory disorders, wounds, injuries that impaired their mobility, and other illnesses that weakened their ability to cope independently in everyday life.

It was hard for me to adapt to that change. I felt that the pursuit of efficiency and productivity, characteristic of the business world, was not suitable for work that involves caring for people. I sought help from literature, my work community, and occupational health services, but I couldn’t find a way to perform my job in a manner that would have allowed me to listen to both myself and my clients. Gradually, I began to see clients as objects of treatment rather than as living individuals in my mind. The work lost its appeal, and I began to suffer from compassion fatigue.

The situation persisted until the death of a loved one, which opened my eyes to the fact that time is limited. I began to wonder if I was waiting in vain for any change in the care sector. After reflecting on this, I realised that while I can’t change home care or my work community, I can influence my own attitude and how I respond to the emotions my work evokes.

This marks the starting point of my journey into self-discovery. As a result, I established clear boundaries and methods for my work. I made a conscious decision to eliminate the sense of urgency, and to fulfil the commitments outlined in the care and service plan for the client. This worked, and I started feeling better. In addition to my work, I completed a specialist vocational qualification in elderly care, during which I became acquainted with the philosophy of recognition. It transformed the way I approach care work.

Despite the changes, the core of home care remains the same

At its simplest, the philosophy of recognition involves engaging with people. It means seeing them as individuals with close relationships, personal values, interests, hobbies, and the life experiences they carry with them. Recognition is not just words on paper; it is practical and reflected in attitudes and actions.

I began engaging with my clients through the approach of recognition, which brought a great deal of joy to my work. The visits centred around getting to know each other, music and songs, colouring and art books, as well as interesting stories accumulated over a lifetime. When I decided to let go of the urgency, I realised that I could achieve a lot, even in just five minutes. The philosophy of recognition brought humanity and warmth to the care measures.

Eager to deepen my expertise, I decided to continue my studies. I will graduate as an elderly care professional this year. At the moment, I am writing a thesis on the philosophy of recognition in home care.

Home care has undergone significant changes in recent years, as the responsibility for organising it has shifted to the wellbeing services county. It is still taking shape as part of the wellbeing services county. Despite the reforms and pressures, I still enjoy my work.

At present, home care services support elderly people who are in poorer health than in the past. Practical nurses are highly skilled in nursing, but today, there is a growing need for expertise in service counselling, age-related issues, and a broader outlook to effectively support the home care team. My dream is to work in home care as an elderly care professional, supporting the home care team as an expert in ageing.

Despite the changes, the essence of home care remains the same, as the most important thing is to connect with the individual. Work gives my life meaning, and I feel fortunate to meet such a wide range of captivating individuals, walking alongside them for a while and sharing in both the joys and sorrows of life.

Saara Shafigullina