A Cumbrian carer speaks about how she hid her emotions when visiting her vulnerable people as she was solely focused on protecting them.
Chloe Rumney a career in Workington, West Cumbria says during ‘the thick of it’ she feared the worst: “During the thick of COVID in March, April and May it was incredibly harrowing but me and my colleagues knew we had to remain calm, as this is our profession, caring for people is what we love.
“Every day the number of cases were creeping higher and higher, I was filled with such uncertainty and fear. What will happen today? What if a service user has caught it or catches it? How do I keep everyone safe? Will I be safe?
“Thoughts and fear ran through my head every single day, however when I would visit our vulnerable users, I would not show my emotions, I was there to help, listen and answer their questions as well as protect them.”
The 26-year-old explained that showing her fear wasn’t an option: “Showing my fear would only cause further confusion or heightened anxiety for these incredibly lovely yet vulnerable people.
“I showed them happiness, laughed with them every single day, I was eager to make it as normal as possible for them.
“The last thing I wanted to do was cause worry or scare the people I was looking after; I danced and sang round their living rooms and made them laugh.
“We often shared our thoughts on the pandemic as it is something, we couldn’t ignore but we always finished by having positive conversations.”
Chloe thanks her work family at Bellcare as they ‘went above and beyond’ to provide all the carers with PPE: “I have been extremely lucky and have always had plentiful PPE, neither myself nor colleagues have run short. Our cars were stocked to the brim, our offices were stocked. The management team have gone above and beyond throughout this worrying time and made sure we were okay and knew everything we needed to.
“Eight months on and how do I feel now? I feel like we have overcome the impossible and the peak of the virus. However, the fight against Covid isn’t over yet so me and colleagues must carry on protecting, help and create happiness where we can.”
