The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) Better Life Project is looking into how professional boundaries can be addressed to reduce people who live in care homes feelings of loneliness, increase connectedness and improve staffs moral and job satisfaction. Although these professional boundaries are in a different context to a leaving care transitions, quotes from people who live in care homes and staff resonate with this project because they relate to touch, emotional connectedness and sharing. Some of these quotes have been included here as food for thought.
“If I can’t put my arm around a client, I don’t want to be a carer anymore. I’d rather work in a shop”
“I do think it is nice to be able to share, clients will ask us, ‘What have you done over the weekend?’ and personally I don’t see anything wrong, I think you have got some boundaries that have gone a bit OTT and it is so sad that if someone was to ask me ‘Are you married?’ and for me to say ‘I’m sorry I cannot discuss this with you”
“I remember someone telling me ‘As a carer you have to have your own space’ right, ‘this is my space, that is your space. You don’t go into their space, they don’t come into your space.’ Bullshit. I’m sorry but it is. That was absolute bullshit. If I was going into somebody’s home, and I saw somebody crying there I’m sorry I couldn’t stop myself – I’d have to go any put my arm around them and ask what was wrong. A lot of people these days don’t do that”