A Care Manager's Monologue: On the Strength of Having Choices

Hello, this is Manpuku from Manpuku Care Plan (●´ω｀●)

Recently, the nursing care industry and the care manager community have been

full of talk about improving working conditions.

After all, we all want to increase our salaries even a little 💦

Thank you for your hard work every day (●´ω｀●)

In that sense, I think the very idea of improving staff treatment is

a very important thing.

💰 When salaries increase, life becomes more prosperous

In reality, hiring people is

not just about assigning tasks,

but I believe it is also about "protecting" them.

If salaries increase,

• life becomes more stable

• anxiety about the future decreases

• you can spend money on time with your family

In that sense,

enriching the lives of staff members is

I believe it is also a responsibility as a manager.

🧠 Hiring people

When hiring people, improving compensation is important.

However, it's not just about increasing salaries,

but also showing the attitude of,

"I am truly thinking about all of you,"

which I think is also important as a manager.

That is precisely why, even if it takes some effort,

if there is something that can be given back to the staff,

I think there is also a way of thinking that actively chooses to do so.

Or rather, I think there are times when you have no choice but to choose it.

Even if it is troublesome (´；ω；`) *sob*

Because that is not just "my own problem."

🧩 A solo care manager is free

On the other hand,

I am a solo care manager.

So, if you think, "This additional payment isn't worth the effort,"

and you decide,

"Not this time!"

you can make that judgment (lol).

After all, the only person who will be inconvenienced is you.

Of course,

there is a possibility that you might lose out as a result.

But you can choose that for yourself, including the consequences.

And if you think that using that time for something else

is more valuable to you,

I think that is also a form of management decision.

💡 Take what you should take

Of course,

I don't believe in not taking anything at all,

and in fact, regarding the subsidy for the service continuity support project,

I applied for it properly (●´ω｀●)

In other words,

• it's not about "taking everything you can get" either

• It's not about "doing nothing because it's a hassle" either.

Regarding each system,

• the time required for paperwork,

• the effort of verification tasks,

• the cost of understanding the system,

weighing those things against,

whether the actual benefits received are worth it.

For myself,

for the office,

choosing what I truly believe has value.

I think being able to do that,

is perhaps the strength of being a solo care manager.

🌀 The weight of being able to choose

What is important here is,

that the very fact of "being able to choose"

is actually a very fortunate situation.

If you were in an organization,

things decided by company policy are,

There are things you have to do regardless of your own will.

It's not about whether that's good or bad,

it's just how things are.

But as a solo care manager,

you can choose for yourself.

In exchange, you also bear full responsibility for the results of those choices.

This combination of freedom and responsibility,

is what makes being a solo care manager interesting,

and also what makes it daunting.

🎯 Time is limited

What I've been thinking about especially lately is,

that time is truly limited.

Every time a new system or additional service fee is introduced,

I sometimes worry,

"Should I take this on as well?"

But using that time,

• should I use it to talk more deeply with the users?

• should I use it to build relationships with new offices?

• Whether to spend it on time with family

You can decide for yourself which one to choose.

🍂 Conclusion

Being a solo care manager,

of course, has its unstable aspects.

But on the other hand,

there is the "freedom to choose what is truly necessary for oneself."

there is.

You choose for yourself, and you take responsibility for yourself.

This is incredibly fun.

I have no intention of denying those who are in organizations.

Each has its own merits,

and each has its own difficulties.

However, while working as a solo care manager,

I was just talking about how I am feeling once again

the value of "being able to choose" (●´ω｀●)

★Bonus★

I've been so busy that I haven't even been able to get an oil change for my car or go to the doctor.

These days, I'm really realizing that time is limited (●´ω｀●)

That's exactly why I want to use it wisely 🍀