It’s not disordered people that are the problem (but everything else)! – the light

First, I have to say that the problem with business is not dysfunctional users, it’s everything else. Adequate conditions for care and quality care must be in place, i.e. a healthy schedule and staff density that covers the need for care. New rules on 24-hour rest made matters worse.

At my place of work, in a private accommodation facility of the municipality of Bolnas, the schedule meant that we usually had two employees working in the evenings, instead of three. How then can care and social care be carried out with good quality and in proportion to the needs of the individual in the centre? Efforts like going out are often difficult, as everything else is constantly getting in the way. This could be because staff are absent, the need for care means we are unable to, etc.

Based on what management demands of us employees, the demands are completely unreasonable. In every workplace there are people who toil day in and day out and bear great responsibility. We do it not for business, but because we see the joy of users and that we are making a difference. The only question is how long will these people last? Often, managers and relatives view the work group as a staff, meaning that those who make a real effort experience a form of “collective punishment” when things go wrong, resulting in pressure of conscience.

Relatives taking out their frustration on us employees is “daily food”, but at the same time it is understandable because dementia is also the illness of a relative. The perception of many relatives is often “make one mistake and everyone makes mistakes.” Taking a short break from work (for energy and planning) when relatives come over is not common, in their world we just have to work. Often relatives focus more on the wrong clothing than on the visit itself.

As a dementia care nurse, you give so much of yourself that you become socially drained. Then you also have to be able to deal with the rest of your life, for example family. Unfortunately, this equation doesn’t always add up. If there is no time in the schedule to reflect and recover, it creates ill health that leads to illness and sick leave.

In aged care, there is a big problem in the work environment and a big challenge for the employer: language. Knowledge of Swedish should be taken for granted in order to get a job, as the language itself is often the key to success and guarantees quality.

Erica Engberg (S) is right that society must change, but there must be a change now! Otherwise, efficiency escapes and the rest remains.

Oska Bolnas Municipality