For many caring and compassionate people becoming a carer can simply be the most obvious choice of career for those wanting to work in the healthcare industry. But for others it may be a career they come to later in life when personal circumstances have shown them how rewarding this career can be. For instance, many people who have brought up a family or cared for an elderly loved one then re-train as a professional carer.
Although caring for others in the broadest sense is very rewarding there are different parts of the elderly care sector that you may find more rewarding than others, according to The Live-in Care Hub. But one thing is for sure you will be spoilt for choice when it comes to care jobs because the number of people over the age of 60 (and hence more likely to require care) is predicted to double by the year 2050 and triple in the following 50 years.
An ageing population naturally means more opportunities for those who choose elderly care as their career path. That’s not to say elderly care is an easy job – it can certainly be challenging and also physically and mentally tough but with that comesthe sort of job satisfaction you won’t find in many other industries.
The Most Satisfying Area of Elderly Care
How elderly care is deliveredvery much depends on where you work. If you work in a residential care home then you are likely to have many clients to care for and, therefore, you will have very little one-to-one time with each client to get to know them. Care homes also tend to put strict (some would say inadequate) time limits on the various care tasks that need to be done in any one working day. So everything can be done in a bit of a rush – not satisfying for the carer or the person receiving the care.
This sense of limited time to do a good job is also prevalent in carers supplied by local authorities to attend a person’s home.
However, for those working in live-in care or providing private homecare services there will be time to provide the best possible care. Of course, what exactly you might do can depend on each individual client. Almost always there will be personal care – helping a client get out of bed, wash and dress, for example. There may also be some housekeeping duties, preparing meals, doing laundry and running errands. You may also be needed to drive your client to social events or appointments; even to look after pets. When you have fewer lients or only one client your tasks will be much more varied.
Finding an Elderly Care Job
Generally, you won’t require any particular qualifications to become a careras most live-in care agencies will offer support and training. Some agencies may particularly be looking for experience with people with certain conditions or illnesses so any experience is good, even if it wasn’t in a professional capacity. If you think a live-in care or home care job could be right for you contact the Live-in Care Hub who can put you in touch with local care agencies.
