Being a CareGiver is not a simple job or an easy job. Not only are CareGivers responsible for meeting the physical needs of home care participants and patients, but they also promote overall happiness and mental well-being. All families want to make sure that their loved ones are in good hands.

If you’re looking to make a difference in someone’s life, consider becoming a CareGiver.

Here are five qualities of many, many qualities all great CareGivers possess:

Empathy

Throughout your career, you may encounter patients that are struggling with their physical, emotional, or social lives. As a CareGiver, it’s important to express empathy and kindness towards patients who are going through a difficult time. Not only will you help them overcome this obstacle, but you’ll also strengthen your relationship and trust in the process.

Reliability

Many home care patients rely on CareGivers to meet their daily needs, from bathing and grooming to medication management. If you fail to keep your appointments or are consistently late, someone else’s well-being suffers as a consequence. As such, it’s important to prove you are reliable and dedicated to your patient’s well-being.

Patience

When it comes to caregiving, things don’t always go as planned. Sometimes a home care treatment plan doesn’t work as expected, or the patient changes their mind about a care service. You should be open-minded and avoid getting frustrated when plans change. Any signs of frustration on your part can upset patients, possibly resulting in further frustration and even substantive patient care gaps occurring. 

Patience is one of the most important CareGiver qualities you can possess and is especially crucial when working with adults who suffer from Alzheimer’s or other diagnoses of dementia.

Confidence

Many seniors that are receiving home care may be scared or hesitant to work with someone outside of their family, friends, or trusted companions. As a CareGiver, it’s up to you to reassure them by exhibiting confidence and competence. If a patient believes in your abilities, they will feel more secure, safe, and engaged. 

Communication

You cannot properly care for someone if you are unaware of their needs and desires. It’s essential that you communicate well with patients and establish a rapport so that they feel comfortable with your presence, especially in the event they need to relay an important health update that may require the assessment and intervention of a licensed clinician. 

In some cases, you may need to find non-verbal methods of communication, especially if your patient has antecedents that affect their speech or cognition. 

CareGivers America

At Expert Forum CareGivers, we believe that nobody should have to sacrifice their home and their place in their community to receive appropriate services and supports which promote general health and wellness — that’s why we accept the CHC waiver for qualifying participants and have contracts and strong relationship with all three of the Commonwealth’s Managed Care Organization partners (AmeriHealth Caritas/Keystone First, UPMC for You, and PA Health & Wellness). Our team is dedicated to providing exemplary non-medical home care to anyone who needs it.

CareGivers America is always looking for compassionate, hard-working, and forward-thinking CareGivers to join our team. We offer several benefits to both our non-medical and private duty home care staff, including flexible hours, a 401k plan, paid time off, direct deposit, and next-day pay*. Staff also enjoys employee perks such as discounts for travel, continuing education, and car repairs.

Apply now to start your career in caregiving!