Disability Support Workers: Australia’s Unsung Heroes
There are some jobs which deserve the respect of society, jobs which fly underneath the radar and in the main it is not until we need these people that we realize what a fantastic job they do. There are a number of job roles which fall into this category and one which we are going to focus on today is that of a disability support worker. These men and women perform herculean tasks day in and day out as they seek to help and support people in the community who are vulnerable as a result of their disability. Disability courses are not for everyone and today we are going to look into this role a little deeper, have a look and see if this is a career for you.
What is a Disability Support Worker?
Disability support workers are on hand to offer assistance to those who have either mental or physical disabilities. These men and women work either within the healthcare sector or for private charities, offering a wide range of emotional and physical support for their patients. Disability support workers may work around the clock with a single patient or they can also find themselves working with a number of patients each day.
What Types of Jobs Do They Do?
Disability support workers will be split between mental and physical health problems, and within that they may also have different specialities which enable them to work best with those who have autism or spina bifida for example. Most disability support workers are skilled to work with many different patients within mental or physical health, depending on which area they specialize in. Job roles could be anything from helping with mobility, education, socializing, bathing and general life support should someone require it.
How the Community Benefits
Everyone benefits from the wonderful roles that those who work in this profession do, they are able to help those who have faced challenges to enjoy life as much as they possibly can. They help to reduce pressure on families because of the expertise and the support which they provide and owing to the amazing work that they do, the lives of the patients, their friends and family are all greatly improved.
Who’d Enjoy This Role?
The ideal person for this role is someone who is empathetic and compassionate, a person who has thick skin and can be patient. Beyond these personal character traits the ideal person to work in a profession like this will also need to have a deep understanding of disabilities and how they manifest themselves, especially in the case of mental health cases. A certificate iv in disability will be a basic qualification that someone needs to be able to work in this industry, but beyond that it really is the character traits which are going to dictate whether or not this is a job for you. The men and women working in this field face a lot of tough and emotional moments and they very often have to set their own feelings aside for the good of those that they are working with. Nonetheless, the personal rewards from this career are incredible.
Is his a job role that you can see yourself doing?
