Focus at work – the missing factor
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Focus at work – the missing factor
As a fully qualified nurse who works in the Aged Care sector, I have taken the unusual step of returning to work as a carer also known as an assistant in nursing (AIN).
A carer is responsible for all the daily living ‘cares’ of a resident. ‘Cares’ are the daily tasks that assist the daily living of a person who can no longer provide those simple but very important duties for themselves. This includes providing showers and dental hygiene, moisturising, dressing the residents in aged care, making beds and attending to the significant and small details of human life as they arise. It is an intimate and deeply personal role, as it includes many very private duties, such as toileting – something most of us would prefer never to need assistance with. Yet, as we are all living longer and ill health is a possibility we cannot escape (in spite of the incredible advances in modern medicine), the possibility of any of us needing this level of intimate and highly personal care cannot be dismissed. Even a severe accident can place an otherwise young and healthy person in the hands of a carer.
The reason I moved from the role of enrolled nurse to carer was because my workplace recently employed a large number of similarly qualified nurses, reducing the availability of shifts. As someone who has become completely dedicated to work and loves the focus it provides, I was faced with the option of either taking a carer’s role or seeking casual placements elsewhere as a nurse. The choice was simple, and it was to take what some people might deem to be a ‘lesser’ role to that of remaining in my current workplace where I have solid and caring relationships with the residents and staff.
As a student of the Ageless Wisdom, I have taken to heart a teaching from Serge Benhayon that there is no effort, simply the magnificence of responsivity, and applied it to what was being asked. As a result, I have been totally enjoying myself in my role as a carer and loving every moment, which is extraordinary if you really think about it, for what is there to love about cleaning up poop . . . human poop at that . . . and loads of it – in what many people consider a ‘lesser’ role. But it did not matter what I was asked to do during the day, whether that be showering, dressing, making beds, cleaning bottoms etc., because it was completed in the same ease and joy that I commenced the day with and continued when I left work, feeling energized and ready for what was next. The reason I could do this was purely because of the teaching that Serge Benhayon not only communicates with words, but with the way he lives and works.
"No effort, simply the magnificence of responsivity."
Serge Benhayon 2025
What I observed with the carer I was rostered to work with for the first three days, was that she did not have the passion for the job and lacked commitment, and so she would easily get distracted and lose focus throughout the day. When it got to about 1.00 pm, she had to snack on salted dried beef pieces and chocolate, because by this time she was feeling exhausted and needed a boost of ‘energy’ with sugar and salt. She was more tired than I was, even though she was doing less work than me. This is not a judgement, just the simple fact that she was constantly getting distracted, whether that be gossiping to three or four other co-workers about the behaviour of another staff member or resident, or by doing things she did not actually need to do.
Due to her getting distracted I would have to wait for her at times when we had organised to meet to do the ‘cares’ for a person who needed two staff. I would utilize the space by preparing the person we were caring for and cleaning the room while waiting for her, but there were times I would have to chase her up, thus wasting time and energy.
While we were doing the ‘cares’ she would lose focus and I would have to remind her as to what was needed next, like getting the pad out of the bag and have it ready to put on the resident we were looking after – even though this was the obvious next step, and step we do over and over for every single person we look after.
At the end of the day every carer has to complete a significant amount of computer work, making detailed notes on every resident in the home that has been attended to. This is an essential part of the role because it conveys critical information about the physical, mental and emotional state of the very delicate and ‘at risk’ residents. At this time the other carers from the different areas are also meant to be completing their computer work at the nurse’s station. What I observe each afternoon is that they all get distracted except maybe one, and thus delay getting this critical and sensitive work done, gossiping and eating junk food. When it comes to knock off time, they often hand over stating that they do not have time to complete the computer work and notations, leaving the next shift in the dark about the state of the residents.
Thus, very important information like whether the resident’s bowels opened or not, or behaviours that may have occurred during the shift are not documented. This is when serious mishaps can occur, for example the time a resident ended up dying from compacted bowels as the bowel charts were not documented correctly or at all. This is an extreme example and a very rare one, thankfully. What it highlights is that a carer’s lack of focus and inability to complete jobs means that daily mistakes are being made. Most of them are small enough to be carried over by other staff, however it is clear that residents’ lives are being compromised.
There is a continual uproar within the Aged Care Sector that more staffing is needed but from what I observe and from my own experience, if the staff on shift realized the importance of the nature of their work, had a passion for what they were doing, and remained focused, all the work would be completed with ease and very likely in record time.
Lack of focus, lack of attention to detail, lack of truly being able to care for another, and not working in a job you love is a major problem that many people in many industries suffer from. It is particularly dangerous in a sector as sensitive as aged care, but when is it not dangerous and concerning to have an unfocussed and uncaring staff?
More staff are not going to fix this problem. It is addressing the issue of focus that is crucial and the communal attitude that whilst we are all unfocussed, everything is ok.
It only took one staff member (in this case me) to reveal that we have a very big problem and this problem is endemic, not only in aged care, but at a community level.
And we are paying a price for this that we cannot measure.
Most carers (AINs) do not value themselves, nor the work they do, they do not see the importance of their own work. They have a major role as they are the ones that are with the residents throughout the day and report back to nurses if the resident’s behaviours, health and/or skin integrity have changed.
Many residents look forward to seeing the carer, as this is the one person they have the most contact with. It can be a lonely existence in Aged Care if you have few family members and friends, or your family and friends do not visit which is more often the case than anyone wants to admit.
It does not help that this role is grossly undervalued by society. I remember when I started work as an AIN before I became a nurse, I was dismissed as ‘Oh you’re just a carer!’ as if it was the lowliest of jobs and I was not worth the time of day. Yet here I was (and all carers are) providing the most direct front-facing service to every person in the aged care centres. Our sense of worth and value around work is truly skewed.
Wake up. We are an aging population and most of us will end up in Aged Care. In every measurable (and unmeasurable way) the role of the carer is as important as that of the facility manager. And how many roles in our world does this true measure of value apply to?
What if that lack of focus in the woman I worked with was not a personal failing of hers, but a reflection of the very serious, community-wide problem that we are unable to bring the focus, care and attention that every facet of work requires when we do not hold the value and integrity that is the basis of all work we do in this world?
Filed under
Ageing, Career, Conscious presence, Productivity
