My social internship at the St. Teresa care home
For my social work placement, I decided to work at the Caritas St Teresa residential care home in Vienna's 22nd district.
At first I was quite unsure how to organise the whole thing, but luckily my mum helped me to find a suitable position through a colleague. Contact with the staff there was very friendly and I quickly felt that I was in good hands.
I was there five times in total - three afternoons and two full days during the holidays. During this time, I was able to take on many different tasks: from arts and crafts sessions with the residents to games such as bowling and bingo to walks in the roof garden.
It was particularly exciting to get to know the everyday life of the carers and to see how much patience and empathy this profession requires. The short visit to the dementia ward was a challenge. It was sad to see how much some people live in their own world and how little you can do about it - apart from being there for them and supporting them.
What impressed me most was how different the residents are - some are still quite fit, others require a lot of care. I learnt how important it is to respond to each individual person and understand their needs. By the end of my internship, I knew many of them quite well, which showed me that I was really attentive.
Even though I can't imagine doing this job later on, I am very grateful for this experience. I learnt a lot - about other people, but also about myself.
Author: Kathi Krenn,
Daughter of Petra Rosegger / OE 0198 0482 Retail Late Collection
For my social work placement, I decided to work at the Caritas St Teresa residential care home in Vienna's 22nd district.
At first I was quite unsure how to organise the whole thing, but luckily my mum helped me to find a suitable position through a colleague. Contact with the staff there was very friendly and I quickly felt that I was in good hands.
I was there five times in total - three afternoons and two full days during the holidays. During this time, I was able to take on many different tasks: from arts and crafts sessions with the residents to games such as bowling and bingo to walks in the roof garden.
It was particularly exciting to get to know the everyday life of the carers and to see how much patience and empathy this profession requires. The short visit to the dementia ward was a challenge. It was sad to see how much some people live in their own world and how little you can do about it - apart from being there for them and supporting them.
What impressed me most was how different the residents are - some are still quite fit, others require a lot of care. I learnt how important it is to respond to each individual person and understand their needs. By the end of my internship, I knew many of them quite well, which showed me that I was really attentive.
Even though I can't imagine doing this job later on, I am very grateful for this experience. I learnt a lot - about other people, but also about myself.
Author: Kathi Krenn,
Daughter of Petra Rosegger / OE 0198 0482 Retail Late Collection