Considering being a Caregiver?

Caregiving jobs can be extremely rewarding for the right type of person. Caregivers for elders are in great demand and you've probably seen a lot of opportunities for caregiving jobs all over the place. Caregiving not only occurs in nursing homes and hospitals but also at adult day centers and even in clients' homes.

If you're considering being a caregiver, this information may help you determine if a job as a caregiver is the right fit for you.

Some Characteristics of a CAREGiver:

• You enjoy working with people and most enjoy jobs where you have one-on-one interaction with others.
• You enjoyed taking care of elder family members and would like to help others in this way.
• You are patient and kindhearted.
• You like older adults and feel you can get along well with a variety of elders.
• You like doing work that has the potential to enrich someone else's life.
• You like doing a variety of tasks in a day.
• You like pitching in to do whatever is needed.
• You like doing little things to make a person's day better.
• You take pride in your attention to detail.
• You enjoy getting to know someone and forming lasting relationships.
• You don't want to be stuck behind a desk; you like hands on work that you can really see what your impact is.
• You don't want to invest in years of formal education but you love to learn new skills and take continuing education to do your job well.
• You feel that if when you are older and you may need help, you would want someone like you to provide your care.

What does it take to become a home caregiver?

This depends on the state you live in and what type of caregiving job you seek. In the state of Florida, ACHA requirement state that anyone providing hands-on care must either be a home health aide or certified nursing assistant and all employees must pass required background screenings and drug testing. At Home Instead Senior Care of SWFL, we go well above the state requirements to prepare our CAREGivers. While we do offer companionship only services, we know at any time those clients needs may change and if/when that happens, we want to be ready for them, so we have all of our CAREGivers go through Home Health Aide training. 
Individual agencies determine any additional hiring requirements. We provide our own, proprietary world-class training that well exceeds the state requirements. In addition, we have all of our CAREGivers take our Alzheimer's/Dementia CARE training, which even exceeds the requirements of our frachisor requirements. (We tend to be front row kids, what can I say?) 

The Benefits and Challenges of Caregiving Jobs in Home Care

In-home caregiving requires some of the same skills as a caregiving job in any setting, but there are also some aspects that make it unique. You'd probably like being a home caregiver if:

• You enjoy a lot of flexibility and independence in your work.
• You like working one-on-one with someone and developing a relationship.
• You can be creative and think on your feet.
• You like tasks such as cooking for someone, helping with errands/shopping, conversing and participating in activities with your client.
• You are perceptive and good at asking questions.
• You like fulfilling someone's requests and catering to an individual's likes and dislikes.
• You enjoy a home-like environment.

On the other hand, you may be a better fit for a caregiver job in a facility setting if:

• You prefer the camaraderie of an office environment and working with others on a daily basis.
• You like routine and want someone to tell you what to do when.
• You need supervision on a daily basis.
• You prefer to work with different people and don't enjoy spending time conversing with clients or doing activities together one-on-one.
• You like having standardized supplies and a uniform environment for working.

Whether as a career or as a way to give back by caring for those who took care of us, working as a caregiver is an infinitely rewarding job. You will always know your efforts made someone else's life more enjoyable, easier, and safer. 

Interested in joining our team? Well that's a great idea! Click HERE to be taken to our Home Instead Senior Care CAREGiver page to learn a little more about what makes our CAREGiver's special. (Pssst...you can fill out a job application from either our Naples, Ft. Myers or Charlotte County career web pages too!)