What does it mean to be a professional caregiver?
A professional caregiver is someone who assists others with tasks they cannot do, or have trouble doing, alone. In many cases, it is a professional caregiver who is the difference between >staying in the comfort of your home, versus leaving for an assisted care center or nursing home.
Professional caregivers fall into two categories. There are home health workers, who can help with medical needs. And there are home care workers, who assist with non-medical tasks, such as dressing, companionship and light housework.
Both positions help aging adults, people recovering from medical procedures and people with special needs stay within the comfort of their homes. More than 53 million provide care for adults and children who cannot care for themselves. Professional caregivers get paid to do just that.
Many types
There are many different types of in-home caregivers. Their area of expertise is matched closely with a client’s needs. Everyone's needs are different, so it is important for each care plan to be tailored to the recipient, and to have a reliable in-home caregiver to meet those needs.
There is companion care, where professional caregivers can help with everything from dressing each morning, to household chores to completing a crossword puzzle. On the other end of the spectrum, there is nursing care provided by skilled nurses, offering services such as help with medication, blood pressure checks and more. In-home caregivers can also help with personal care, such as bathing and more. Finally, there are specialty caregivers that help with specific needs, such as Alzheimer's care, Parkinson's care and diabetes care.
Challenging and Rewarding
Being a professional caregiver means having one of the most challenging, yet rewarding jobs at the same time. Seeing older adults struggle and decline in their ability can be heartbreaking. However, helping to keep them safe and stay in their homes is rewarding for professional caregivers. Knowing that because of the help of an in-home caregiver adults can age in the place where they raised their family, and lived the better part of their lives, is satisfying. Seeing seniors who might not have much contact or communication with others light up when their caregiver arrives for companionship can make all of the challenges worthwhile.
Join Us
Being a professional caregiver means many things. Over the past 19 years, Right at Home Haverhill has perfected that work while serving the people of Massachusetts. In the end, caregivers are experts at giving peace of mind to people that need a little help and to their loved ones. If you would like to use our services, contact us at (978) 975-1768. If you would like to become a caregiver, helping those in the Haverhill's area, check out our careers page.
