Are you considering a new career in caregiving and wonder what a typical day will look like? As a professional caregiver who is providing nonmedical home care to clients, each day brings new fulfillment opportunities along with the occasional challenges. Although it may be hard to predict your everyday routine with 100% certainty, what follows is a general outline of what to expect when looking after someone— in this case, a senior— who’s aging in place at home.
The Role of an In-Home Caregiver
But first, you’ll need to examine what a professional caregiver does in more detail. These are some of the more common duties that you will be asked to perform while serving in the role as an in-home senior caregiver:
Personal Care
- Assistance with hygiene
- Bathing
- Grooming and dressing
- Transferring and ambulation assistance
- Incontinence care
Companionship
- Recreational activities
- Sort and read mail
- Entertainment
- Incidental transportation
- Religious reading and reminders
- Discuss current and historical events
- Escort to appointments
- Behavioral assistance to improve overall emotional wellbeing and quality of life
Homemaking Services
- Light housekeeping
- Laundry
- Running errands
- Grocery shopping
- Meal planning and preparation
- Medication reminders
- Changing bed linens
- Vacuuming
Snapshot of an Average Caregiving Day
One of the benefits of being a caregiver is having the flexibility to enjoy a healthy work/life balance while juggling school, kids, leisure activities, etc. Most home care agencies offer their employees flexible scheduling options that range from full-day and half-day shifts to part-time or hourly work.
As a caregiver, here’s what to expect in a typical day while working a full-day shift:
Wake-up assistance
Caregivers often help clients get out of bed in the morning. This process can include anything from providing a simple wake-up call to assisting with personal hygiene, bathing, dressing, grooming, taking prescribed medications, preparing breakfast, and more. Taking care of someone with chronic pain who has trouble sleeping at night may mean having to adjust their wake-up time so that it aligns with their needs.
Morning routine
If your client has scheduled medical appointments or social engagements, you’ll need to prepare them in good time. Suppose poor mobility or cognitive impairment is an issue. In that case, you may need to arrange transportation and accompany them to their appointment so that you can keep the family informed about their loved one’s condition.
If their morning is free, it may be time for some exercise. Depending on your client’s mobility and health needs, this could be a 20-minute walk in the beautiful outdoors or more strenuous activity.
Lunchtime
Now it’s time to prepare a healthy lunch that addresses the client’s dietary restrictions and allergies. Over lunch, you both can make plans for the remainder of the afternoon. Be sure to prioritize your care recipient’s preferences for the afternoon activity.
Afternoon schedule
Since the benefits of socialization for seniors are well-documented, the afternoon is an ideal time to help clients socialize with family and friends. Set them up with a Zoom or FaceTime video call, during which time you can catch up on tasks around the home like doing laundry, cleaning, washing dishes, managing medical appointments, etc.
Evening schedule
As the day draws to a close, you will need to make dinner preparations for the client while respecting their dietary needs and restrictions. Soon after that, it will be time for them to head off to bed. Before getting them settled in for the night, you may need to assist your client with their hygiene, bathing, and grooming needs.
Once that’s done, you can return home knowing that you’ve had a productive day helping someone in need remain in their home so that all parties involved can sleep better at night!
Get Started with a Career in Caregiving Today!
If you are ready to make a difference in the lives of others by serving as a professional in-home caregiver, we invite you to join our winning team. Due to our expanding client load, Elder Home Care is currently seeking qualified individuals to fill several exciting caregiving positions. While proudly serving communities in Manhattan and Queens, we support clients and their families with services that include personal care, respite care, private duty care, 24-hour care, Alzheimer’s and dementia care, and more.
As a highly valued member of the Elder Home Care team, you’ll enjoy a fast-paced, positive work environment where your input is valued and hard work rewarded. We also offer competitive pay, flexible scheduling, ongoing staff training, and career advancement opportunities galore. No matter your experience level or education, we’d love to hear from you! To learn more about our open positions, please visit us today at www.ehcus.com.
