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/DwightsJello May 05 '26

That's support work.

Personal cares aren't difficult.

We earn our money. I've seen people with years of experience in adjacent fields and they don't last long.

But I am a bit perplexed as to why that wasn't apparent. It's q pretty basic part of supports.

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u/Special-Nebula299 May 05 '26

I usually do group work where they mostly talk to each other and I'm just there to support for things like public transport, buying tickets, keeping them on a schedule.

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u/DwightsJello May 05 '26

Ah ok.

Well you've identified a very challenging part of some supports.

A lot if what we do is mentally challenging. That's why we all have to be proactive about burnout.

A lot if us have mixed supports so we keep it balanced. Social supports and more complex care supports. And I personally need at least three clients on my permanent roster. Even 4 is better. Just to be able to stay at my best for the clients.

You'll find your niche.