verbal V practical

how not to p off a carer

there are two types of carer
One is the verbal carer, and the other is the practical carer.  If you have a combination of the both condiser youself very lucky. 
The verbal carer will talk the hind legs of an ottoman,  as donkeys have not got the time of day for these kind of carers, they are far too involved in calibrating the last straw, which is due to be dropped any minute the carer puts her mind to doing anything practical.  I have seen these carers, especially when you work in pairs.  You can often find them within two feet of the care plan, armed with their pen and ready at the drop of a hat to start pen pushing, it rolls off their mardy bottom lip.." oh I will fill the care plan in while you do all of the physical work".. These are the 'gentleman' carer's.,- like ' gentlemen farmers"..who don't actually do any work, but  take all the credit for doing it.o
 They like the uniform but do not want to splash theirselves whilst completing  their paper work.  The verbal carer has an ideal service user.  Their ideal service user is a ' twin set an pearls' lady of repute (or gent ), whom they can discuss topics over afternoon tea, passing the rich teas in appropriate silences.
The verbal carer knows when bowel movements are imminent.  For this reason they seldom arm themselves with personal protection equipment as they can tell with their discerning nose from inside the car, two miles away, much to the despair of the practical carer.  The verbal carer can not estimate the on going use of crockery and cutlery, and will just continue to use crockery and cutlery until the cupboards are bare, then they may consider dipping a few items in the sink, and sitting them on the draining board, in the hope that a practical carer will be on duty the next day, who will systematically bottom the whole of the kitchen before they start their own work.  They will also wash each item and store it away, as they use it.  They will also, fill up the empty kettle on arrival, empty the bins in all rooms, pick up all the  crockery and cutlery left from the previous day, and do a Spring Clean in the space of five minutes, as they are as methodical as Angel Merkel in their application to duty. besides conversing and settling the service user, which they do simultaneously.  
The verbal carer, are to their defense, a most attractive commodity.  They are pleasing to the eye, they are smiling and jolly and are very cheering, and will talk for eons with the delighted service user, which is uplifting and encouraging, but please look at the girl flailing in the back ground, picking up all the debris and cleaning as she goes. She may look a little windswept as she has just been in a hot bathroom washing or clearing up, she may be a little tired and a little irritable because her work colleague slacks off on the practical side, she may be a little worn down, but she still continues, and she still reports for work because she is strong and enduring and knows that practical things..the bare boards , the mechanics of care, needs to function, as well as the emotional side of care.  Carer of the year, is not always Miss Sunshine, it is Miss Endurable, it is Miss Application to duty, which involves a lot more than just chit chat and patting the hands of the old dears.  Bright happy people are uplifting, they are colourful and bring a good mood, but they need to get stuck in doing the practical things before they wear out the drones in the background.    Applying person centred care is a must, but even this has its limitations.  At some point, duty of care has to step up to the mark, for health and safety reasons in the care of the vulnerable.   
I would imagine the best combination for a super carer would be fifty fifty verbal and practical care, unless you are German then you have no choice but to be practical and to the point.  So there you have it.