Senior Home Care: Balancing Empathy with Professionalism
Having a kind and nurturing personality is part of the job description as a caregiver. After all, tending to a senior or disabled person involves spending long days and nights together. Caregivers form a bond with their patients, and often experience a rollercoaster of emotions while assisting them, especially if their client has a progressive disease.
That leaves the question: when do empathy and compassion cross into unhealthy territory?
Tips for Ethical Senior Home Care
Compassion fatigue is a very real concern for those in professions that deal with other people’s trauma. According to WebMD, symptoms of the condition include mood swings, detachment from others, addiction, depression and anxiety, and insomnia.
It’s important for caregivers to prevent compassion fatigue and burnout in order to maintain the highest level of care for their patient, as well as protect their own mental health.
Here are some guidelines for maintaining professionalism in the workplace as a home caregiver.
Establish Boundaries
Boundaries are essential in any work environment, but especially in caregiving, where so much of the job involves being the elderly person’s companion. Caregivers must remember that while they are allowed to be their patient’s friend, their main priority is performing the duties of their role. Separation between their work and home life has to exist.
Maintain Communication
Caregivers are human beings, not superheroes. While they can typically handle their assigned tasks, everyone has a limit. Caregivers should have regular check-ins with their patient’s family about how much they can take on. This also creates an opportunity for family members to help support the caregiver.
Practice Self Care
Caregivers must meet their own needs in order to do their job well. That means eating healthy meals, having a regular exercise routine, and getting plenty of rest. When not working, they should try to socialize with friends and engage in hobbies. Activities like journaling can also be helpful for stress reduction.
Get Help
Sometimes the stress of caregiving can become too much to handle on your own. That’s when caregivers should seek out professional advice, from a counselor or family doctor. Talking to other caregiver friends and colleagues can also be helpful in these circumstances. A strong support network is key to dealing with the ups and downs of the job.
Visiting Angels Loveland Supports Our Caregivers
At Visiting Angels Loveland, we understand that caregivers must have a work-life balance. We support our team members with perks that include insurance, paid time off, wage increases, paid mentoring opportunities, 401K matching, referral bonuses, and a supportive staff that helps caregivers achieve their career goals.
Visiting Angels has been recognized as one of the top homecare providers to work for. If you’re interested in a career as a home caregiver, check out our available job opportunities today.
If you are seeking professional in-home care for your senior loved one, consider Visiting Angels Loveland. For more information on our services, reach out via our contact form or call us at 970-292-5668 today.