Dos and Don’ts of Professional Caregiving
Professional caregiving is a rewarding career. As an at-home caregiver, you work with clients who depend on you to live safely and independently. However, since professional caregiving is a nonmedical position, there are specific tasks you can and can’t perform. It’s essential to understand your role as a caregiver before working with clients.
Caregivers Don’ts
It’s common to want to help clients with everything they ask, but it’s not always safe or in the client's best interest to do certain things for them.
Don’t provide medical care
As a professional caregiver, you may only provide nonmedical assistance. Non-medical assistance includes light housekeeping, meal preparations, medication reminders, transportation, personal grooming, and mobility. You may perform medical tasks, including administering medications, changing bandages, and cutting nails. If a client needs medical care, you must contact a medical professional.
Don’t make home renovations
If you’re working with a client and notice they could use a bathroom rail or shelving to remove clutter from the floor and reduce their fall risk, you can not make those small home renovations for them. Instead, you can inform their family how those modifications may make their home safer. You can also help them find a professional handyperson to come into their home and make those changes.
The same applies to yard work. It’s okay to shovel a few front steps or get garbage out of the yard, but you shouldn’t be cleaning gutters, mowing a lawn, or shoveling the entire yard. Instead, help the client find a professional to take care of those tasks or talk to their family about having someone help.
Don’t provide personal information
It’s normal to grow close with clients and develop relationships, but you need to enforce boundaries and keep it professional. That means no sharing information, including your personal email or cell phone number. Inviting clients to your private gatherings or your home is also inappropriate.
Caregiver Dos
While it’s vital to understand your boundaries as a professional caregiver, it’s also to remember all the fantastic things you can do in your position.
Do what you can to let clients know you care
The base of a caregiving job is to make clients feel safe, comfortable, and happy in their homes. Any nonmedical tasks you can provide to make your clients happy are a great way to show them that you care. Ask them questions about their lives and hobbies, suggest doing something they enjoy together, and encourage them to try new things and get out of their comfort zones.
Do ask for help when you need it
Just because you’re working alone doesn’t mean you’re alone in your job. Caregiving can feel like a lonely job sometimes, especially since you’re spending most of your time alone with clients. But whenever you feel overwhelmed or unsure of a situation, you can contact the Visiting Angels office staff, other caregivers, or managers to provide guidance and assistance.
If you’re ready to start your caregiving career, the team at Visiting Angels would love to connect. Our Flagstaff office hires caregivers to work with families in Flagstaff, Payson, Show Low, and the surrounding communities. Working with Visiting Angels means receiving competitive pay, paid training, bonus opportunities, reimbursable mileage, paid time off, and a clear career path with a scholarship program. If you want to learn more, message us or call 928-223-5765.