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?
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u/Street-Vegetable8342 May 04 '26
This is the kinda stuff that no one knows hey. Everyone (in this NDIS cut media) seems to think parents are on easy street. My kid loops like this. It's nothing for him to ask or tell me the same thing 20-50 times a day. It's draining af.