Transcript: A Day In The Life: David

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David - My name is David Taylor and I'm a Care Assistant, and I work in a residential home for the elderly.

This is a normal starting day when I come on - set the tables, make sure everything is looking nice and neat and tidy.

When I started off, I went to college to do a fashion diploma, and because I needed money to fund college I went into work at a residential care home. After a time, I developed a caring nature and decided that the care home was more rewarding and it just brought a lot to me. I've been doing that for about six, seven years now.

(Speaks to service user)
- Don't get running.
- (Laughs) That'll be the day.
- (Both laugh)

It's quite nice when they take to you and think that you're part of the family. I get a lot of new grandmas and grandads in this kind of work. You have to go along with that. If they want to take you in, let them.

It's quite good. You can study as you're working, so you're always earning the money as you're studying. There's no worry about paying the bills. You're studying as you're doing the job. There's a lot of opportunities. Once you start off as a basic carer, after time you do your NVQs and you get higher up the ladder, you can go into management or work for the NHS at the hospitals. You can go to university and do your nursing degrees, be a nurse or social worker. There's a lot of different paths. You can go into mental health, elderly care, learning difficulties or young children. There's a lot of different areas you can go into.

(Speaks to service user)
- Oh, wear some sunglasses.
- You could've borrowed mine.

You're not stuck in one place. They go on day trips, they go out to the seaside, they go to the cinema, theatre. It's not a normal job where you go to work nine till five. You go out, you get to go on trips, take them places, on holiday, you're spending that time with them.

(Speaks with service user)
- 79 Armoured Division.
- Is that what you was in?
- I was attached to them. I was service corps, they were armoured corps.

You're looking after them, making it easy, going that extra step. Just by getting a simple cup of tea, asking them how they are, it really makes them feel better inside that someone is listening and they're not on their own.

(Speaks with service user)
- What's these photos?
- Two here from Belgium.

You've got to be caring, have a heart. You can't just come into the job to earn the money, you've got to have a caring heart.

Colleague - He enjoys being with residents, he enjoys doing activities with them. That's the type of person he is.

David - We all work as a team, so if you're struggling one of the other team members are there to pick you up and help you. You're never on your own. There's always someone there to help you. It's nice when you get cards off family members or you get family members going into your manager and saying, "That person has done really well. I'm really taken by his concern." It's very rewarding to know that they're thinking of you.

(Speaks with service user)
- You've got to laugh, haven't you?
- You've got to.

Some of the comments they come out with, some of them shock us, don't they? They're saying, "Respect your elders. We never did this, we never did that." Once you work in a care home, you know that they did it.

(Music plays during karaoke session)
- Knock on your door, ring on your bell
- Tap on your window too

It's good to know that you're making a difference to someone's life. Coming in to work and seeing the smiles on their faces, knowing that they're waiting for you to come in to care, really makes it worthwhile. It's not just sat behind a desk and doing the same thing. It's a different challenge every day. I couldn't think of any other job that I'd rather do that gives me as much satisfaction that care does.