Professional caregivers are a unique breed.
While training is needed to meet job requirements, professional caregivers must also possess other innate qualities that enable them to compassionately perform job functions. These special qualities are what make all the difference between average home care providers and superior home care providers.
This article examines caregiver characteristics that are necessary for providing superior home care services.
A Wide Range of Talents
Professional caregivers must be able to perform all the following job functions, including:
- Assisting clients, seniors and care recipients with daily living activities
- Preparing meals
- Aid with ambulation or walking
- Light housekeeping tasks, cleaning, laundry, trash removal, tidying up
- Attending to all safety needs, ensuring a safe environment for patients and care recipients
- Effective and compassionate communication with patients, family, coworkers and all interested parties
- Confidentiality, as per the wishes of the client
- Understanding and following through on all requirements for the care of your loved one
But beyond those essential functions and responsibilities lie the real substance of a professional caregiver’s role: that of the compassionate personal attendant. Professional caregivers must go beyond handling the needs of care recipients and responding appropriately to certain job situations, to also demonstrate compassion, caring and thoughtfulness.
When those qualities are present, you’ll know you have a caregiver who loves his or her job and cares about your loved one. Professional caregivers are dedicated people who have a passion for helping others and are selfless in their desire to improve the quality of life for senior loved ones.
Other characteristics of exceptional professional home care providers include:
Commitment and Dedication
Families and elderly individuals in need of home care should rely on professionals to be available when needed, honor their commitments and carry out all job-related responsibilities in a highly professional manner. When a family chooses to bring a professional into the home, the professional caregiver should be respectful of the situation, as well as any hardships the family or client faces on an everyday basis.
Creativity
Professional caregivers are always thinking of new activities and ideas to introduce to clients, ones that are designed to better their quality of life or improve a situation. Additionally, they should focus on creating new ways elderly individuals can carry out tasks and learn new skills.
Judgment
Professional caregivers should always exercise sound judgment, and maintain confidentiality, but not when a patient or client is in danger.
Professional caregivers find their careers very rewarding and perform invaluable services in homes and communities everywhere. A professional caregiver is simply invaluable.
Superior home care providers work with you and your loved one to create a specially tailored care plan to meet the personalized needs and services required—and this plan can be adjusted at any point in time to ensure the proper care is provided, as conditions can change.
See more about how to create a professional care plan for your elderly loved one.