Do you have these personality traits to become a senior caregiver?

If you are planning to pursue a career in senior caregiving, then you are not the only one. Today, the caregiving industry is booming and it is predicted that the industry will continue to flourish in the upcoming decade. Many young people who feel that they are not able to take care of their old folks seriously consider enrolling their parents at a retirement home, an assisted living home or any other institution where senior caregiving facilities are provided.

Though caregiving might seem like a cakewalk from the outside, the job is physically and emotionally demanding. Before you start your career as a senior caregiver, here are a few things that you need to keep in mind:

What are some personal skills that every senior caregiver must have?

More than the professional qualifications, the personal traits of a personal caregiver matter. Here are some of the traits that will help you succeed as a senior caregiver:

• Compassion – Compassion is one of the must-have traits if you are aiming for a career as a caregiver. If you are not compassionate about people in general, you will never be able to put yourself in their shoes and understand what they are going through.
• Reliable – As a caregiver, you will have access to the personal information and personal life of the person you are taking care of. However, if you want to succeed as a caregiver, you will have to make sure that you are honest and never breach the trust of the person who hired you.
• Communication skills – You will be working with elderly patients who could be hearing impaired or suffer from forgetfulness, making it difficult for you to communicate with them. At such times, it is important to be a great listener and be ready to take the effort of using sign language or other communication tactics that will help the elderly patient comprehend what you are conveying. The best thing to do is to stick to one topic at a time in order to avoid overwhelming the patient with excessive information and confusing them.

Why is great observation skill a must for a senior caregiver?

• The doctors will not look after the patient round the clock but as a senior caregiver, you will. So, it is important that you pay attention to your patient.
• By paying attention to them, you can report any abnormal changes you notice and prevent the illness from becoming worse.
• You don’t need medical training to have great observational skills. All you need to do is look for changes in the skin color, facial expressions, behavior or eating patterns of the old person.

Why is it important to be flexible as a senior caregiver?

• There are many seniors who cannot be left alone even for few minutes as they are a threat to themselves or the people around them. If you leave an elderly person alone, there is a possibility that the person might do something like take the wrong dosage of medicine or leave the stove on, both cases being equally dangerous.
• As a senior caregiver you should be able to manage your time and be flexible when it comes to your work schedule because occasionally, you will have to wait back at the nursing home till the other caregiver comes and takes your place.

Can a person who lacks patience take up senior caregiving?

• No, a person who lacks patience will have a hard time working as a senior caregiver. This is because as a caregiver you are required to be patient with the elderly person all the time.
• Though all types of caregiving requires you to be patient, senior caregiving needs you to be extra patient as you will be dealing with old people who have a tendency of forgetting the instructions that you give them, and you will have to show and tell them the same thing several times without losing your composure.

Just keep in mind that you will be responsible for old people who most probably are not capable of taking care of themselves. Be confident and patient, and aim to create an environment that is conducive to a relaxed living.

Tag: senior caregiver