On Thursday 16th January 2020, Butterfly attended a learner skills day at Bath College. We were given the opportunity to run workshops on Dementia Awareness for Level 2 and 3 Health and Social Care students as we are part of their Care Academy.
Over the past couple of weeks, we have been fortunate to have two students; Jodie and Jess, spending a week experience what it is like to work in the Domiciliary Care industry. Work experiences are relatively new to us at Butterfly so we wanted to make sure Jodie and Jess had the opportunity to get as much from the week as possible. Both Jodie and Jess shadowed experienced members of the team to observe tasks that involved both client and carer support.
Upon leaving, Jodie wrote us this lovely article for our monthly staff newsletter.
“My name is Jodie, I am seventeen years old, and I am studying Level 3 Health and Social care at Bath College. I originally first heard of Butterfly when they came into Bath College on Thursday 16th of January 2020, and they ran workshops throughout the day. I chose to attend Butterfly’s session, because I wanted to know more about the company and how they provide high quality care for their clients.
Throughout the session, I participated in a quiz about Dementia, which was especially useful to me as I wanted to expand my knowledge on what it’s like for an individual living with Dementia, and how they deal with day-to-day activities, such as shopping, cooking or cleaning. Then after we completed that, we then participated in a virtual reality of an individual who has Dementia buying her weekly shopping. This was useful for me as it was like a first-hand experience of what it is like to have Dementia, and the daily problems individuals have. During the session I knew that I wanted to find out more about the company, and how they provide their service to help vulnerable individuals. I always knew that I wanted to help people, but I always struggled with where to start.
I am so grateful for Butterfly that they gave me this amazing opportunity, supported me throughout this journey and made me feel as if I was already part of the team. I have learnt so much over the past week about care, and it has changed my thoughts about my future career. I have learnt some vital social skills from observing the carers, that I will need for the rest of my career, such as speaking loud and clear to clients, so they do not get confused. The workers were never patronising with the clients, which always made them feel comfortable and safe. Every client was very happy with the care that was provided, and Butterfly knew exactly what the client needs were, and how to meet them. At college, we learnt about the different types of care, and how it impacts an individual’s quality of life, but when you’re in a classroom, you don’t realise how amazing this service is until you witness it yourself. Individuals have strong opinions about care, and what job roles are involved, but in college we don’t go into much detail about this.
This work experience has made me more knowledgeable, which has made me realise that I do possibly want to go into further with this career in the future. I’m upset that my work experience is coming to an end, but hopefully in the future I can come back to Butterfly with improved skills, and I can be a part of the team again.”
