Would you succeed in a professional caregiving career?
There is a popular saying: “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” Although it can be challenging, our caregivers will be the first to confirm that the advantages of being a caregiver make it a remarkably worthwhile and gratifying career. Have you ever contemplated sharing your gifts and talents with older adults in your area by providing home care assistance?
If you’re unsure what it takes to start a professional caregiving career, here are five key personality qualities.
- Communication. Excellent written and verbal communication skills are crucial in caregiving. From recording notes about a senior’s day in his or her care plan and interacting with seniors to make sure their care needs are fully met, to sharing updates about changes in condition with medical professionals and family members, concise and clear communication is a key element in all caregiver interactions.
- Trust and Dependability. Seniors and their caregivers form unique and deep bonds, often over a time period of many years. As with any other relationship, the older adult/caregiver relationship is based on trust and dependability. This means that caregivers show up on time, follow through on tasks, and look out for a senior’s best interests.
- Patience. Working with seniors who are impacted by age, disability or a health condition often means that there will be obstacles in everyday life. For caregivers, it’s vitally important to take these difficulties in stride, to bring a sense of comfort to frustrating situations, and to concentrate on providing understanding when navigating difficulties.
- Compassion and Empathy. Being compassionate and empathetic means understanding what a person is experiencing. This involves showing support and kindness to older individuals and their families who could be dealing with a change in health, recovery from a surgical procedure, or simply the effects of growing older.
- Flexibility. Life does not always go according to plan, and for caregivers to be successful, it’s important to be flexible, showing a determination to put the senior’s needs first, and adjusting to shifting routines in order to provide exceptional, consistent care.
Now that you understand more about some of the characteristics that are important for a professional caregiving career, you might be wondering what to do next to become a caregiver yourself. At Advanced Home Health Care, we’re always interested in adding people to our team of home care assistance professionals who want to make a difference in the lives of seniors in our community. If this sounds like you and you would like to explore the benefits of being a caregiver, including flexibility, advancement opportunities and personal and professional growth, here’s the process:
- Application and Interview. Once you have completed our online application, if it appears that you may be a good fit for our company, we’ll get in touch with you for an interview. During the interview, we’ll get to know more about your family caregiving experience and any other life experience you’ve had that may translate to becoming an effective professional caregiver.
- Screening. After the interview and passing our background check process, qualified candidates will receive an offer of employment.
- Training. You will be fully trained to ensure you are confident in your role and are equipped with everything you need to provide exceptional care to our elderly clients.
- Client Matching. You will then be matched with senior clients according to availability, skills, personality, and shared interests. We work hard to make sure that the senior/caregiver match is as comfortable as possible to lead to a strong and lasting bond.
If making a positive impact on older adults is your passion, a professional caregiving career may be the perfect fit for you. Call us any time at 800.791.7785 to learn more! We’re always searching for kind and caring people to join our team, which serves families throughout Fort Madison, Mediapolis, Burlington, Mt. Pleasant, Keokuk, and the surrounding areas.
