Home Caregiver

Reliance on others increases with age, as people need somebody to support them in their physical needs and chores. This is when people tend look for help from younger people in the family or from outside sources such as caregiver institutions or old age homes. The younger children in the family might either be tied up with their work or might not have the facility to take care of the elders; this is when home caregivers work out as the best and safe option for both elders and youngsters.

Benefiting from the warmth and comfort of their homes and yet having someone to help them with their tasks make old people prefer home caregivers over old age homes. Home caregiver jobs for the elderly may involve services such as assisted living, Alzheimer’s care and long term care. Find out what caregiver jobs entail.

Home caregiver

Home caregivers are establishments and personnel who provide individual and personal assistance to seniors’ right at their homes thus taking care of their persona needs. This includes helping out with bathing, dressing, personal hygiene, little housework, commuting to the doctors place, cooking, taking them to the church and stores plus any other small additional work. Generally home caregivers are people who provide help to elders and don’t have to be skilled professionals though it is preferable to be suitably trained. They are referred to as non-medical caregivers and offer no medical assistance. Generally, services offered by home caregivers are not reimbursable by Medicare. Home caregivers can be living in-house too.

• Home maker services help in housekeeping, regular household activities, shopping, planning and preparing food.
  
  
• Personal care assistants assist in bathing, dressing, etc.
  
  
• Home chore workers perform household work like cleaning, managing essential household tasks, small household repairs etc.
  
  
• Skilled care personnel take care of medical needs such as dressing up wounds, injections, physical therapy etc.
  

Home caregivers are classified as per the tasks they handle,

• Housekeeper manages the cleaning of the house.
  
  
• Personal care worker assists in bathing, dressing and other personal activities.
  
  
• Chore worker handle cleaning, household maintenance, repairs etc.
  
  
• Homemaker assists in personal care as well as household activities like cooking, shopping, cleaning etc. They also remind clients to take medicines but provide no medical care.
  

Tasks of a home caregiver

• Taking care of the client who may be an elderly person, kid, recovering sick patient or an expectant mom.
  
  
• Should work independently with the client on a day to day basis.
  
  
• Should be able to work as per the clients requirements.
  
  
• Should accept flexible timings (overnight, day, weekend, weekday etc) that suit the client.
  
  
• Should share a good working and personal relationship with the client.
  
  
• Should be a good companion and should interact well with the client.
  
  
• Reading, lively conversation and companionship.
  
  
• Should be able to accompany the client to places the client wants to visit.
  
  
• Home caregivers must be trained in nutrition and disease management. They should be able to lift or transfer immobile persons.
  

Home caregiver jobs

A study indicates that home caregivers are listed in the seventh position in the US labor departments list of fastest growing jobs from the year 2000 to 2010. This sectors growth is expected to hit the highest point in 2007 and continue an upward trend till 2015. It is also the only job that is non-computer related and is listed among the top 10 fastest growing jobs. If the candidate is medically licensed or certified, this will help in taking better care of sick clients.

All over the world over 33% of home caregivers work on a part time basis, few people have more than one client to attend to in a day. According to the requirement of the client the caregiver spends a certain amount of time with each client. Job opportunities in this avenue are high with the growing demand for caregivers and the heavy replacement levels happening in this field. Replacements are heavy because of the low pay, emotional strain and low skill requirements. Not just the elderly people but also patients, babies and pregnant women are dependent on these services.

Home caregivers charge anywhere between $15-25 per hour. Home caregivers who work for an agency are paid much better than private home caregivers.

Home caregiver job requirements

• Person working as home caregiver should have a valid driving license.
  
  
• Should possess car insurance.
  
  
• To become a caregiver all candidates have to clear a screening test conducted by the employer.
  
  
• Courteous and pleasant attitude.
  
  
• Should be able to communicate effectively.
  
  
• Should have the natural instinct to take care of others.
  
  
• Should possess a lot of patience and should handle elders and their queries with respect.
  
  
• Ability to work well in stressful and physically demanding circumstances.
  
  
• Should be very friendly and show sympathy and understanding towards the client. The client may be an elderly person or a young child; caregivers should handle each of them as per their requirements.
  

Choosing home caregiver

Before you go about choosing a caregiver, interview the candidate and ensure that you are comfortable with the person. Discuss the duties and special needs, if any. Ensure that the home caregiver is competent to handle any medical equipment if required. Do background checks before you hire a caregiver. Provide clear instructions based on the patient’s special needs. Draw up a contract if necessary.