Is Professional Caregiving Right for You?
Are you considering a career change and thinking about a job as a professional caregiver? There are many benefits to working as a caregiver, but the role also challenges. Before you start your new journey, it’s vital to understand the role of a caregiver and what you can expect working with clients.
What is Professional Caregiving?
Professional caregiving is when you provide nonmedical tasks to help seniors age comfortably and safely. At Visiting Angels, we provide at-home caregiving, which means you help seniors with chores around their home, such as light housekeeping, laundry, and meal preparations. At-home caregivers may also provide personal care services such as assistance with bathing, grooming, dressing, and toileting.
Some caregivers provide specialized care services. The additional training allows them to provide quality care to seniors with various health conditions such as dementia, Parkinson’s, or Alzheimer’s. We also offer transition care at Visiting Angels to help seniors move back home after hospitalization and end-of-life care. We work with hospice teams to make clients comfortable as they enter the final stage of life.
What to Expect Working as a Professional Caregiver
There are many reasons people choose a career in caregiving, such as the rewarding work, flexibility, and the connections they build with clients. The job also requires a lot of physical stability and emotional strength.
A rewarding experience
One of the primary reasons people choose to work as professional caregivers is how rewarding it is to help seniors in their community live safely and comfortably at home. Unlike most corporate jobs where you’re unable to see the impact of your work, caregiving is a one-on-one environment where you’re seeing how your job is directly affecting your client’s life. And many clients are open to showing their appreciation with kind words and affirmations, making your job even more enjoyable.
Powerful connections with clients and their families
Caregiving is about building one-on-one relationships with clients. You want your clients to feel comfortable and safe in your presence, especially when you’re helping them with intimate tasks such as bathing and grooming. Through your work with your client, you’ll also build relationships with your client’s family and loved ones. The people in your client’s life will want to know that you’re someone they feel confident in leaving with their relative or friend.
Flexibility and autonomy in your work
We want our caregivers to work hours that best suit their lifestyle. You let us know what shifts work for your schedule, and we’ll find clients who require services during those times. We also believe in trust and autonomy in the workplace. While you’re required to update the office staff and other Visiting Angels team members on care plans, you won’t have someone micromanaging your work while caring for your client. We trust our caregivers to provide the best possible care and act responsibly and respectfully.
Physical and emotional work
There is a physical component to caregiving, especially if you provide personal care and mobility assistance. You should feel comfortable lifting 25 pounds and may have to spend shifts on your feet. Emotionally, caregiving can feel tolling. There may be days when you and your client have a disagreement, or there may be times when you feel physically or emotionally drained. In those moments, you need to know how to manage your emotions and find ways to relax and recharge after your shift, even if that means taking some time off.
Starting Your Career with Visiting Angels
If you think you’re ready to start a career in caregiving, the Visiting Angels team would love to connect. Our Southwest Colorado office is searching for caregivers to serve clients in the Pagosa Springs, Cortez, Alamosa, San Luis Valley, Durango, Colorado, and Farmington, New Mexico. If you’re interested in learning more about career opportunities with Visiting Angels, send us an online application or call us at 970.264.5991.