Picture This

We are all going to get old or die young, it's a fact, but you have to be middle aged before you believe it applies to you. Many of the (mostly female) workers in my organisation are young, under twenty five and in some cases, even in their late teens. There are mixed feelings among the people we serve. For every curmudgeon that reckons anyone under thirty cannot possibly do the job there is a client who finds a young face and a tale of parties and boyfriends brightens their day. My unenviable task is to make sure that, young and old, they stick to the uniform. As uniforms go it is unremarkable, tunic, dark trousers, flat shoes and a fleece when the weather demands it (and it usually does). I also stipulate minimal make up, no obtrusive jewelery, tied back hair and no perfume. This last may seem picky but many of our customers have breathing difficulties and a lung full of body spray from someone leaning over you is at best off putting and at worst positively distressing. So far so good - until the advent of the facial piercing. NO NO a thousand times NO! Now I admit I actually don't like face furniture but that is a personal preference. I don't like tattoos either - why would you? You wouldn't commit to having the same picture on your wall for the rest of your life so why would you indelibly decorate your body with a winsome cartoon character or some Chinese writing? At least from a professional point of view, tattoos are (hopefully) not on show when you are working, not so the piercings. Facial piercings are not desirable when people may be touching their face and then touching food they are preparing. More than that, they are a risk when we have some clients who are prone to lash out at their carers from time to time, I shudder at the thought of a nose ring or eyebrow ring being ripped out. These are perfectly valid reasons but it's more than that. I may be a stuffy old git but I do not want my Company's image represented by carers who could not pass through a metal detector.
Cut to an incident a couple of months ago. A young carer rang me because her co worker had failed to show up for a double carer call. It was a new client and she was waiting outside, unsure of what to do. A quick telephone call ascertained that the missing carer was caught up with a previous client who was feeling unwell. I abandoned my warm fireside, changed out of my lazing around gear and shot off to meet the abandoned carer. A missed call puts a client at risk and damages your reputation. You can't put a value on the well being of a vulnerable person who depends on us. However, the expression on my carer's face was also priceless as the boss screeched to a halt beside her and the headlights lit her up in her jeans, boots and with, you guessed it, her nose stud in! In the event I couldn't tell her off too much, I was laughing too hard at the poor girl's horror. I made her take the piercing out and we went and did the call.
It made me think though. In forty years or so the first of them will be trickling into the residential homes. The Ernies and the Cissies will have given way to the Kyles and the Leannes. I just have a little trouble picturing the nose studs and the lip rings let alone the generation of old ladies with weird hieroglyphics disappearing down their spines into their inconti knickers.....I wonder if they will play house music in the lounge and replace the bingo with magnified Nintendos? We are all going to get old....be warned.