Qualities of a Successful Caregiver
Anyone can learn the technical skills of how to care for an aging individual, but knowing the skills is not what makes a successful caregiver. Successful caregivers have innate qualities that influence how they care for their clients. These qualities of a successful caregiver make clients feel safe, comfortable, and respected, which translates to high-quality care beyond simply providing daily assistance.
What makes a successful caregiver?
A lot defines a successful caregiver, but a few qualities that many tend to have in common are compassion, patience, and motivation, plus the willingness to set boundaries and continue learning.
Compassion
The soul of caregiving is all about compassion. The clients you work with may face challenges or need assistance with everyday tasks, but they’re still people who deserve respect and compassion. Understand that aging is not easy for everyone, and it may cause clients distress. Showing compassion, kindness, and empathy while working with your clients can help them through their challenges and reminds them they are still worthy, brilliant people.
Patience
There’s much patience that comes with caregiving. When you start as a caregiver, you’ll need patience as you build a relationship with your client and allow them time to feel comfortable around you. Even once you have trust between the two of you, you’ll still need patience. Some days a client may need extra time to complete something physically. On other days, clients may experience fogginess and have difficulty holding conversations or remembering where they placed something. By exhibiting patience, you’re letting the client know that it’s okay for them to need extra time and there’s no pressure for them to move at the pace they once did.
Motivation
Successful caregivers need to be self-motivated. Unlike other jobs where you have a manager or supervisor at work with you guiding you on what to do, caregivers are responsible for their own management during their shifts. You have to drive yourself to care for your client, complete necessary tasks, and complete your work to the best ability. You don’t have the luxury of relying on someone else to motivate you, and your client depends on you to live safely and comfortably in their homes.
Boundaries
Successful caregivers understand the importance of setting boundaries. As a caregiver, you spend a lot of one-on-one time with your clients, and it’s common to build a relationship with them. Many caregivers work with clients for months or years, and it’s easy to feel like a client is part of your family. However, as much as you may care for and love a client, it’s still vital to keep professional boundaries. You can’t provide your clients with personal contact information, you can’t invite them to your home, and it’s not appropriate to interact with them outside of your shift.
Life-long learner
No caregiver knows everything about caregiving. And no two clients require the same approach to care. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, talk to fellow caregivers, read books on the aging body and mind, attend webinars or conferences, or seek further education in advanced caregiving. As a successful caregiver, you must always remain open-minded and willing to continue learning. The more you learn, the more you’ll grow and the more success you’ll find as a professional caregiver.
Starting Your Career with Visiting Angels
The Visiting Angels Grand Junction team will love to connect if you possess the qualities of a successful caregiver. Visiting Angels is a locally owned and operated home care agency dedicated to helping seniors in our community. We have part-time and full-time positions available with flexible scheduling, competitive pay, paid training, reimbursable mileage, and bonus opportunities.
Please send us your application or call 970.254.8888 to take the first step in starting your career as a professional caregiver.