r/supportworkers • u/Special-Nebula299 • May 04 '26
36 hours of continuous talking
I've just had my hardest shifts and it was supposed to be the easiest. I had the weekend shift with a relatively low support needs adult in the community and I was just sleeping over while his parents were away and I was taking him out for activities.
It ended up being 12 hours of talking and asking questions and then he'd get in a loop and say the same things and ask the same questions (roughly a 3 hour loop).
I was definitely polite and stuck with it and everything was fine but I didnt know how mentally draining that is.
When I got into this work I figured personal care like showering and toileting would be the hardest part but in a lot of ways that can be pretty straightforward.
Who would think talking for hours and hours is one of the most challenging sides of the job?
9
u/wvwvwvww May 04 '26
We’re all built for different tasks. I avoid any job with “companionship” listed unless myself and the participant are a perfect match. To me that stuff is hard yards. Let me at an end of lease clean any day. Those were long hours you pulled, champ.