Do you want to expand your horizons, but don’t know where to start? Find out more about our carer Karen's experience with Kare Plus

Do you want to expand your horizons, but don’t know where to start? Kare Plus is helping care homes when it comes to ensuring that they have the right staff, and we sat down to speak to one of the agency staff here, Karen Jenner, who told us about her experience working with Kare Plus.

Karen has worked with Kare Plus since August 2021, but she has quickly integrated as part of the team having already been awarded with employee of the month! She’s worked in the care industry her entire life, having recently taken a break due to the lockdowns, but already we have been pushing Karen to improve her abilities and develop her skills!

Kare Plus has given Karen new opportunities to use the skills she has picked up through her career. Karen said that “It’s nice to see the other sides of care. It’s not just nursing home care.” Opportunities to develop her skills in areas such as helping people living with mental disabilities or challenging behaviour and work in those environments too have really helped Karen to realise what she is capable of!

As a new starter herself, Karen has a unique perspective for other people starting at Kare Plus:

“This is a job where you have to want to care.” Working with Kare Plus and especially as an agent within care homes means that you have a duty to the people you care for, but also their loved ones. Not only does the drive to care make the work more rewarding for you, but it also means you will provide a greater level of care! “You would want to know that if you were unable to provide care for a loved one, the person who is caring for them wants to be there and do everything they can”

Karen also said that there is no “Us and Them”, mentality between the office workers and the carers. “Everyone works with and for each other.” 

Those in the office are great at understanding the carers individual strengths and weaknesses, allowing them to assign carers to places that would be a reasonable challenge, but also something that is within their area of expertise! Karen summed it up well, “They don’t just send you somewhere because they need someone to go there. They send you there because they need you there!”

Overall, Karen feels that by working with Kare Plus she has been able to be challenged, working in new environments, and developing her skills, even after an extensive caring career! She feels that her colleagues in Kare Plus are incredibly supportive and they also drive her to be the best that she can. 

She appreciates that Kare Plus treats her as an individual and respects her strengths and weaknesses, because at Kare Plus, the care doesn’t stop at our service users!