Male Carers Bring Their Unique Strengths to the Home Care Workforce

The professional caregiving industry has always attracted a large portion of female caregivers, one of the reasons for this in North Hertfordshire is private domiciliary care is clients request female professional caregivers for their nurturing and empathetic nature. Men have also faced the stigma that caregiving is a job for women, while some men have reported some difficulty in navigating the deeply personal side of caregiving.

Home Instead North Herts has been working to encourage more male carers into its workforce, and we are seeing the benefits of men bringing their unique style to the professional caregiving industry.

It is not only the physical strengths, male caregivers take a practical problem solving approach to caregiving which is a fantastic complement to the traditional empathetic caregiving of women.

Danny, former Project Manager working in construction for over 40 years joined the Home Instead team as a prat time Carer, supporting clients to live independently at home. He shared a wonderful story of how he helped a client repair the cables to his TV so he could use one remote rather than struggle with two. Danny also repaired the connection to the aerial so the client could enjoy terrestrial TV stations again. Danny worked in construction for over 40 years and has always enjoyed the diy jobs. He reported seeing the smile on the face of the client was so satisfying and working in Care has given him another sense of purpose and community spirit.
Male clients have also reported enjoying having male carers, they feel like they have a mate and can enjoy banter.

It is encouraging to see men choosing Care as a career, they bring another dimension to the role of nurturing and friendship. It also challenges the stereotype that paid caregiving is for women only. It is a field that welcomes everyone and provides a deeper sense of purpose.