Introduction
An adult caregiver provides care and support to adult patients who cannot carry out basic tasks or care for themselves due to a factor such as physical disability, an accident, mental illness, or a degenerative disease condition like Alzheimer’s disease.
Definition and Job Description
Did you know over twenty-one million adults over the age of eighteen in the United States have difficulty walking, seeing, eating, taking their medicine, or doing any other simple task? And as a result, it requires the care and support of someone else to help them carry out these tasks. People that provide such assistance are referred to as caregivers.
The high aging population in many communities has made the role of caregivers more widely recognized. And this has led to an increase in the demand for their services over time. Many organizations have been established to support individuals with disabilities or people who have difficulties performing simple tasks. In some cases, the adult caregiver can be a family member and are usually unpaid. Other times, the caregiver is a trained person or professional paid for caregiving services.
Responsibilities
The adult caregiver’s job involves a variety of responsibilities, and the following are a few.
- Help in the administration of medicines according to the prescribed dose regimen.
- Keep their patients company.
- Carry out housekeeping duties such as cleaning, cooking, and washing.
- Provide help to their patients on hygiene.
- Run errands for the patients and also help move their patients around the premises.
- Adult caregivers report accidents or any threatening incident.
- Should be able to give first aid in case of accidents or emergencies
- Must be observant and also take notes of changes in the patient’s health or physical condition
- Know the whereabouts of patients and also report if unable to locate any of the patients
- Encourage teamwork with other co-workers
- Follow standard and also safety procedures in emergencies
- Adult caregivers maintain a safe and also tidy environment or surroundings for the patients.
- Keep daily records of the patient’s well-being or conditions in an orderly and organized manner.
- Encourage patients to carry out certain tasks or activities by themselves especially performing exercises as much as possible.
Qualifications and Skills
To be qualified as a professional adult caregiver, you possess the following requirement.
- High school Diploma
- A valid driving license
- Experience with providing care for elderly individuals or individuals with special needs
- Empathy
Required skills include:
- Good Communication skills
- Organization skills
- Patience skills
- Relational skills
- Decision-making skills
- Flexibility
- Time management skills.
- Driving skills and also cooking skills
- Hospitality
- Listening skills
- Observation
- Neatness
- Good work ethics
- Cooperation
- Physical Endurance
- Adherence to health standards
- Being proactive
- Housekeeping skills
- Motivating skills
Employment Opportunity
Private homes/group homes: These are special homes for people with special needs. These private homes are usually staffed with workers, adult caregivers, therapists, counselors, and also sometimes medical practitioners like doctors and nurses, who help the patients with their daily tasks and also help to improve their quality of life.
Nursing homes: These are homes, sometimes with settings just like that of a hospital. It is a place where sick, elderly, and also disabled people, who don’t have to be admitted to a hospital, can be cared for. Most nursing homes, however, employ the services of a skilled nurse, an adult caregiver, and other skilled workers.
Other places you can work include:
Health care facilities.
Hospitals. Elder Care facilities.
Salary
According to Indeed, the average salary for an adult caregiver is $25, 000 per annum. But this amount, however, varies with the degree of experience and working hours.
Conclusion
An Adult Caregiver commits to helping their patients improve the quality of their life. They do this by rendering essential caregiving services, including walking, eating, housekeeping activities, taking medications, and so on.
They follow the prescriptions and guidelines given by the patient’s health care officer and also provide optimum care for the patient.
An adult caregiver’s job can be tasking or demanding but is fulfilling and rewarding. As a caregiver, you need to have good relational skills, compassion, and also empathy. Some of the persons you care for may be slow to respond to you, and you must be patient with them.
Patients are most grateful for the assistance they receive from their adult caregivers, and also this usually brings satisfaction and fulfillment to the adult caregiver for a job well done.
