Why Professional Caregiving is Perfect for Older Adults

It’s never too late to reconsider your career, especially if you’re not enjoying your work. Life is too short to spend your time and talents at an unsatisfying job, and if you’re dreading work daily, you should consider becoming a professional caregiver.

Caregiving is a growing career field as the Baby Boomers age into retirement. It’s filled with opportunity and a rewarding position, perfect for older professionals looking for a change.

Understanding Your Role as a Professional Caregiver

Before jumping into a new career, it’s essential to understand what it means to work as a professional caregiver. There are many kinds of professional caregivers, but at Visiting Angels, we employ at-home caregivers. At-home caregivers are trained individuals who visit clients’ homes to assist with daily living activities. 

Visiting Angels offers clients various types of at-home services based on their needs. Our most popular service is companion care, where caregivers help with household tasks like light housekeeping, meal preparations, and medication reminders. Some clients may require hands-on assistance through our personal care, where caregivers assist with grooming, showering, dressing, and toileting. 

Ultimately, your goal as a professional caregiver is to help clients live safely and comfortably at home. You want to build a trusting relationship with clients and help them remain independent so they can continue living in a home they love.

Benefits of Caregiving as an Older Professional

Starting a new career later in life can be nerve-wracking. However, entering the caregiving career field as an older adult has benefits. 

You Already Have Transferable Skills Needed to Succeed

Like any job, there will be caregiving-specific skills that you’ll learn from paid training through Visiting Angels, but those job-specific skills are not what make caregivers succeed. What makes a successful caregiver are the transferable skills you develop through past jobs, schooling, and life experiences. 

A transferable skill is something you learn in one environment that you can apply to other situations. If you’re entering the field of caregiving as an older professional, you’ve likely already mastered these transferable skills that will help you succeed as a caregiver:

• Communication
• Time-management
• Critical thinking
• Organization 

You Can Enjoy a Flexible Schedule 

As an older professional, you may seek a more flexible career as you transition into a less hectic work life. With our flexible scheduling, professional caregiving with Visiting Angels can provide that work-life balance. 

When you start with Visiting Angels, we ask you to provide your ideal schedule. Whether that’s part-time or full-time, nights or mornings, we’ll find clients who fit within your desired work schedule. And if there are weeks when you need extra shifts, we have plenty of bonus opportunities, as well as paid time off for days you need to reset and recharge. 

You Can Relate to Your Clients

Building a trusting relationship with your clients is one of the most essential parts of working as a professional caregiver. While you and your client may come from different backgrounds and generations, as an older professional, you’ve had many life experiences that can help you better relate to your clients. 

You may have both gone through parenthood or marriage. You may have spent your 20s, 30s, and 40s in similar environments. Finding those connections is a helpful way to reminisce and build trust, making your job a more rewarding and valuable experience. 

Starting A Career With Visiting Angels 

Visiting Angels Grand Junction would love to connect if you feel professional caregiving is your calling. We’re filling part-time and full-time positions to work with seniors throughout Grand Junction and the surrounding communities. 

We care about our employees as much as we care about our clients, which is why we offer competitive pay, paid training, flexible scheduling, and plenty of career growth and bonus opportunities. Caregivers also enjoy paid time off, reimbursable mileage, and plenty of one-on-one client interactions.

Please send us your application online or message us with any questions. If you could be a potential fit, a team member will reach out.