Gratitude, Empowering the Voice of Social Care

Getting voices heard in the social care sector is often a difficult task, making changes to the sector slow. The Social Care sector is always overshadowed by their more dominant sibling, the NHS. Partly because of the need for social care to be given a voice, NACAS (National Association of Care & Support Workers) has just launched the Voluntary Care Professional Register to facilitate this voice, if you are a social care professional you can join the register by visiting www.vcpr.co.uk

Gratitude also has an enormous role to play in giving a voice to the Social Care sector. Gratitude builds and strengthens our relationships with other individuals and also our teams. When we show gratitude to our coworkers, it not only makes their strenuous endeavours validated, it creates a more positive environment and makes the sector more attractive. It helps to increase recruitment and retention. When a team is in a positive supportive space, no one will want to leave.

This positive, energetic, grateful culture also has an effect on the care that is given. Grateful people are kinder. The role of the Social Care professional is never 'just the carer', they become friends and an extension of the family. Gratitude makes people more empathetic and better listeners. These are qualities that are essential for anyone working in this sector.

Many of the Social Care superheroes are involved with palliative or end of life care. Even though this can be a very difficult time for the families of those nearing the end, the care is delivered kindly and emphatically through the power of gratitude allows there to be a 'good death', When our loved ones are made as comfortable as possible.

It is often the role of those working in palliative care to console the grieving relatives. Gratitude also helps with the grieving process. When we are able to take a step back from our grief and thank those who took care of our loved ones in their final moments. The TAP app is a great way to go back and thank those very deserving unsung heroes.

Gratitude helps to tie up those loose ends and gives us a sense of closure to the grieving process. We are able to see the situation more objectively and are able to move on.

Liz Blacklock from NACAS said:

I think people often express gratitude to provide closure. If they've lost a family member, someone you were looking after at the end of their life and you take them through to the end, there is such a thing as a good death. And I think for relatives to come back and say thank you afterwards, gives them the closure and the peace they need. And the ability to grieve and the ability to know that there's nothing to be upset about or worried about, because they have thanked the people that were there at the end. And that gives them the ability to move on and fill that Mum-shaped hole without the person in it.

Gratitude creates a virtuous cycle; someone is kind, we are thankful and they feel recognised and validated for they're actions. It will spur them on to be even kinder and more appreciative.

Let's continue spreading the love through the power of gratitude within the Social Care sector and give it the voice it truly deserves!

You can hear about the Voluntary Care Professional Register on TAP radio: https://soundcloud.com/thankandpraise/gratitude-with-attitude-episode-13