The Benefits of Caregiving
Deciding to work as a caregiver requires selflessness, humility, empathy, and compassion. It’s a demanding job that requires you to provide clients with your undivided attention, but it’s also one of the most rewarding career choices. Caregivers directly impact the lives of their clients, and in some cases, are the only reason they can live safely and comfortably at home.
If you’re looking to make a career change, and want a job that matters, consider these benefits as you explore the possibility of becoming a caregiver.
Rewarding Work
The most significant benefit of caregiving is how rewarding it feels at the end of the day. In some workspaces, you’re putting in 40 or more hours, but you don’t get to see tangible results often. When you work as a caregiver, you observe how your work positively affects your client’s life in real-time. You can see how helping someone with housekeeping or bringing someone to a doctor’s appointment can brighten their mood and make them feel more safe and comfortable living independently at home.
Never Bored
If you want a job that keeps you on your toes, then caregiving is the perfect option. No two days working with a client will be the same. You might have laid-back days where you’re spending a few hours hanging out at home with your client, where you are making meals and playing games with them. Other days you might have to help your client run errands around time, bring them to appointments, help them bathe, remind them to take medication, and help get their laundry done all within your shift. But even on days when you’re busy, you’ll still feel that sense of purpose, knowing your actions are making your client’s life better.
Learn About Yourself
Caring for another person can teach you a lot about yourself. While many days may be fun and exciting, other days will test you mentally and emotionally. If you’ve never had the opportunity to push yourself in the workplace, you’ll learn a lot about how you handle difficult situations. Working as a caregiver will also teach you a lot about problem solving and communication, which are excellent skills to develop in and out of the workplace.
Build New Relationships
As a caregiver, you’re spending quality one-on-one time with your clients. What might start as the unfamiliar ground may blossom into a beautiful friendship. We hear from clients regularly about how much they value their relationship with their caregiver and how they feel like they can trust their caregiver to keep them safe. In return, our caregivers often feel the same about their clients and love spending time getting to know each other.
Beyond the client/caregiver relationship, you also can build meaningful work relationships with other caregivers and office staff. Some days working as a caregiver are challenging. Your client might have a rough day, or you may feel overwhelmed at times managing multiple care plans. Having a network of caregivers and office staff who understand the work you’re doing makes getting through those rough days a little easier.
The Visiting Angels Ravenna office is currently hiring caregivers to serve clients in the Chagrin Valley, Portage, and Southern Geauga counties in Ohio. If you’re interested in learning more about caregiving opportunities with Visiting Angels, you can complete this form online or call our office at 330.297.2000.