Your Career as a Caregiver

Your client has trouble doing the things he used to be proud of doing well. He once found it comforting to make sure the house was clean and tidy, and everything was in its place. Each week, he would drive to the grocery store and shop for the meals he had planned out ahead of time—and he was a great cook.

But when he started to notice subtle memory changes and found daily routines challenging, he became worried.

When you visit, his eyes light up because he values your company, and because he trusts you know exactly how he likes things done. You’re a part of his household, so when you go for walks in the park, or you drive him to visit loved ones, he doesn’t feel like he’s a burden. He feels like you’re a friend.

At first, it was difficult for your client to admit that she could no longer take care of herself as well as she once could. It started with mobility issues making it harder for her to get to the bathroom at night. Eventually, even getting dressed in the morning was too much of a challenge, let alone cleaning her home and cooking meals.

Now, though, she knows you’ll be there for her. Whether it’s to take care of her personal hygiene, her nutrition or her home, she trusts your abilities and your judgement. You’re an integral part of her day, someone she can lean on physically when she needs help walking and someone she can lean on emotionally when she feels alone.

Most of all, she knows that when you’re there, she never has to feel embarrassed or ashamed to ask for help—you’re glad to do it.

Due to his mobility issues, for years he had relied on a personal care assistant to help him with the little things in life that had started to make comfort a challenge. When his health took a sudden turn, though, he and his family knew that he didn’t just need the little things taken care of—the big things became much more important as well.

You can be the best of both worlds, a caregiver who can help him navigate the day-to-day while also keeping an eye on his vital signs and helping keep his medication on track. You’re trained to know when his symptoms need extra attention.

Even though he and his family never expected to need in-home care, his family has come to appreciate you as an extension of themselves, someone who’s able to be with him when they can’t.

You don’t just keep him happy, you also keep him safe.

Her day-to-day life is more complicated than she ever thought it would be. When she was discharged from the hospital, her family worried that they wouldn’t be able to keep up with her constant appointments, her medication schedules and the emotional weight of her condition.

They never imagined she would be able to recover where she would be most comfortable: at home.

With your license, education and experience—and under the supervision of a registered nurse—her family knows that she’s in good hands. They trust you not only to treat her with the care she deserves, but also to start her on the road to rehabilitation.

Every day is a new journey, and you’re the one to watch over her with the guidance and expertise she needs.

His life has become much more about medical care than ever before. Due to the details of his circumstances, he needs to be kept comfortable, but his status also needs to be monitored on a constant basis. When his medication needs change, it’s crucial that he has someone to make sure any additions fit in with his full regimen. It’s a stressful time in the lives of his family, because they know his condition could change at any time.

Fortunately, you’re licensed and have the training it takes to be a single point-of-contact for every aspect of those details. Whether you’re supervising a licensed practical nurse or administering to him yourself, you always keep a realistic outcome in mind, and you do it consistently and professionally.

You’re ready for whatever comes next. You’re an essential part of his health care routine.

And his family couldn’t do it without you.