A caregiver is a professional who takes the entire responsibility of an elderly person or anyone who is in need. Read on to know about all the duties of a caregiver.
Many elderly couples stay on their own. Even if one of them falls ill, it gets difficult for the other to take care of him or her. In such instances, a caregiver is hired.
Also in some cases, if any family member falls sick and needs an extensive care, a caregiver is hired. They stay at your home or with the patient for specific hours.
Duties and Responsibilities
Personal Help
This is one of the main responsibilities. Most of the time, the patients find it difficult to do things, like wearing clothes, combing, and other grooming activities. So, it is the responsibility of the caretaker to help the patient take a bath and groom. If he/she is expected only to help the person dress, than you ask him/her to come twice a day.
It should also be made clear to him/her that he/she should be present during the entire time the patient is bathing. If the patient is not to be bathed everyday, that also should be made clear, and the person should be asked to come on only some specific days of the week.
Toileting
Infants, old, or injured, almost each patient requires help for this issue. The caretaker needs to be present each time the patient needs him. This is not only necessary for comfort, but also for hygiene.
Medical Care
The caregiver should know the medical history and present medical condition of the patient. He/She should be instructed by the doctor about maintaining the record of patient's blood pressure, temperature, etc., periodically.
Medical care also includes the reporting of any ups and downs in the health of the patient to the doctor, immediately. Reminding and giving the patient medicines on time, which may also include application of ointment and dressing, is also an important duty.
Housekeeping and Transportation
A full-time caregiver's duties may include preparing meals, dusting, scrubbing the house, changing linens, laundry, doing the dishes, receiving and sending mails, etc.
Along with that, he/she also has to take the patient wherever and whenever required. This includes the patient's regular visits to the hospital also.
Companionship
Though not a duty, a caretaker is expected to accompany the patient for a stroll in the garden or read aloud to him, play games so that they do not feel lonely. He/she should also assist/accompany the patient to social events, if needed.
Salary
A caregiver helps sick people to live with comfort and ease. Though this is a very noble profession, the average salary is not much. In the US, it's about $23,363 yearly. This is because there are more voluntary people in this field than professional ones. However, awareness towards this field is slowly growing and many people are taking it as a career.
There might be some other duties as well, like shopping for the patient or giving him therapy etc., but that depends from patient to patient. To sum up, we would say that a caregivers' duty is to take overall care of a person, just like a nurse or a mother does!