Getting home care help has gained a lot of attention and popularity as a career prospect over the years because it does so much for the people who receive the expert care provided by their own personal assistant. It’s also a highly rewarding profession that very few jobs can guarantee. No two days are the same and neither are the patients who you’ll be caring for. But are domiciliary care jobs easy? Read on to find out more!
What are home carers supposed to do?
Providing care at home is not just intuitively the right thing for many families to do for their loved ones. Its benefits are also supported by research, which states that as people age, they prefer the comfort and familiarity of their own home surroundings over being uprooted from their homes and taken to unfamiliar places.
This is irrespective of the illnesses, disabilities or physical conditions that the patient may be suffering from. However, due to physical and sometimes mental limitations, some patients may not be able to take care of their own daily needs like they once used to before. As such, home care services come to the fore and home carers subsequently assist people with daily living, including aspects such as:
- Getting in and out of bed
- Bathing and toileting
- Meal preparation
- Light housekeeping
- Keeping the home environment safe and free of obstacles that can cause injury
- Transportation to and from medical appointments or community events
- Administering medication correctly
- And so much more.
Luckily, home care can be tailored to a person’s unique needs and it can therefore be carried out as a short-term, part-time or long-term commitment. This will depend on the condition of the patient and what their major and most pressing needs are. Getting additional help is often a Godsend for those patients and the help a home carer provides is invaluable.
What are the benefits of a home carer?
Receiving care at home from a well-trained home carer comes with a number of great advantages. Some of these include the following:
Care is personalised
Тhe patient will receive a personalised care plan that will be followed strictly by the carer to avoid confusion and anxiety and faster recovery from an illness, if necessary. It, therefore, helps with healing and can promote health.
Care is provided in familiar surroundings
Тhis means that the patient will have greater peace of mind and feel safer and more secure.
Patients feel more independent
Because patients are generally in charge of their own schedules, but with an extra helping hand around, it means that they will be more secure in going out and knowing that someone will take them to and collect them from the right location.
Families are involved
Family members can not only get greater peace of mind that their loved one is in good hands, but they can also participate in the creation of the personalised care plan and ensure that the patient feels that their dignity is respected.
It leads to greater life satisfaction
Irrespective of age or physical condition, it has been shown that in-home care results in much greater quality of life for the individual involved.
It offers individual attention
because home care services are delivered on a one-on-one basis, care is not only personalised but it is specific to the individual who gets the individual and undivided attention of the carer.
Home cooked meals
Not only will elderly and frail people not have to cook for themselves, but their meal consumption can also be monitored to ensure no sudden or rapid changes in weight, thereby resulting in a healthier lifestyle.
Other benefits
Home care can be more cost-effective than a nursing home, patients can exercise safely for greater quality of life, they’ll be more comfortable in familiar surroundings and they’ll never need to go out in their communities alone, feeling helpless, lost or confused.
Why become a home carer?
With all this in mind, you may be wondering what are some of the main motivating factors to interest you in pursuing a home care job. Many carers were asked this question and their responses were astounding.
Overall, being a home carer means that there is much greater work satisfaction due to the high levels of appreciation from the patients and their families. In addition, being a home carer also makes a difference to other people’s lives.
The job itself, although it can be challenging at times, is highly rewarding because you can establish truly wonderful relationships with your clients.
But you’re not in this alone. You’ll also get great support from the staff at your local office and even if you have a challenging day at work, you’ll never feel like you are alone. It’s a great way of forging strong relationships with other carers, too. And, of course, you also get additional training and support to help you with your job.
And if that’s not enough, the job offers great flexibility, opportunities for ongoing development, and reward and recognition from your employer, the clients, their families and the overall community that you work within.
Join our team today!
In summary, working in a home care job can be exceptionally rewarding and is something that very few career paths will offer you – the opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives. Although a home care job is not always easy, you will be helping patients and clients with daily tasks and daily living activities.
And even though we may sometimes take these things for granted, they mean the world of difference to them. If you are considering a job in the home care industry, don’t hesitate to reach out to us to find out more.
