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Mar-31-2022 | aging in place, Alzheimer's Care, Caregiver Employment, Caregiver job, Caregiver Service, Companion Caregiver, Dementia Care, Elderly Care, Hire CNA, Hire HHA, Hire PCA, Home Healthcare, In Home Care, Long Term Care, Polish Care Services, Senior Care Services, Spring Activities, Summer Activities for Seniors, Uncategorized,
The number of older adults over 65 is expected to grow in the next two decades to 80 million by 2040. Many seniors will need the assistance of professional caregivers as they age. So, what are the benefits of becoming a caregiver? This post outlines the benefits of being a caregiver for the elderly, what hourly and live-in caregivers do, and why becoming a caregiver is rewarding.
Why Become a Caregiver?
Getting older isn’t easy. At a certain point, simple tasks such as getting up and downstairs, getting dressed, and even preparing meals can be hard for older people to do. A professional caregiver helps to make life easier for their senior clients by helping them with those tasks. The caregiver and client might work together over many years and form a close and rewarding professional relationship.
What is Hourly Care?
Hourly care is just what it sounds like. Caregivers for the elderly are paid hourly to take care of clients. Working on an hourly basis can provide caregivers with a certain amount of flexibility, depending on how their schedule is structured and how many clients they might see on a given day. Some caregivers may work a full 8-hour shift with one client, while others may split their time between a few different clients throughout the day. Some clients might need a caregiver’s help every day for a set number of hours, while others need assistance for a few hours on set days.
What is Live-In Care?
Live-In caregivers will spend their time living with and caring for one specific client. They live in the home with the client and will generally perform any task from activities of daily living (ADLs) to meal prep, errand-running, and homemaking services. As part of their compensation, live-in caregivers receive room and board as well as meals to provide care to their clients. Typically, live-in caregivers can receive at least one day off if desired, and they can sleep a regular number of hours during the night. The specifics of a live-in care arrangement are worked out between the caregiving agency and the family.
Benefits Associated with Being a Caregiver
Professional caregivers can largely determine the number of hours that they want to work. If they prefer the routine that comes with working for one client, they can choose to do that. Other caregivers might prefer working with multiple clients throughout the day or working overnight. Caregivers also get to decide whether they would like to work full-time, part-time, or overtime, which is not available to people who are traditionally employed.
Caregivers can be pooled from various backgrounds and professions than certified nurses assistant (CNA), home health aide (HHA), personal care attendants (PCA). Caregiver agencies hires those trained in other fields such as customer service, civil servants, teachers, nurses, doctors and provide tools for development as a caregiver.
Caregiving agencies offer various benefits for caregiver jobs. Ongoing training for caregivers is one. Continuous training programs allow caregivers to improve their caregiving techniques and learn new ways of providing care to clients. They can also offer job benefits like W2 matching for Medicare and Social Security, overtime, and bonuses for certain jobs.
To learn more about how to become a caregiver for seniors in the Farmington, CT and other Connecticut towns, reach out to Polish Care Services today!