You’ve started a career as a caregiver for people who need extra attention while they are at home. These clients could be senior citizens who aren’t safe while being home alone or those who sometimes don’t remember to take medications or need help getting around the house. No matter the reason, you are in the person’s home to provide assistance and comfort. If you’ve never been an in home caregiver or you haven’t worked in this field in some time, there are a few tips that you can keep in mind so that you offer the best care possible for all of the clients you come in contact with.
There is often very little training before you enter the role of a caregiver. Some companies will hire you if you have had minimal training while others will provide training as you go if they need more people to work for the company. As you gain more knowledge about the person you are helping, you will learn more about the person’s needs and the things that they enjoy doing. A caregiver usually doesn’t work as much with medical situations as someone who has taken nursing classes or classes for being a nurse’s assistant. When you meet with the family, you should find out exactly what kind of care is needed or desired, such as relieving a family member of time spent with the client or taking the person to run errands. You might have to help the person get dressed or take a bath. Keep in mind that there could be tools used in the person’s home that you might need to be trained on how to use so that you operate them in a safe manner. If there is an emergency or a health concern, then you should report it to the family or the client’s doctor. You can usually travel with the client to doctor’s appointments or to other appointments to ensure that all of the information about the person is reported properly.