“There are only four kinds of people in the world. Those who have been caregivers. Those who are currently caregivers. Those who will be caregivers and those who will need a caregiver.” Rosalyn Carter
Caregivers are all around us. The concept of caregiving is ample, but before probing deeper in it, it is necessary to answer some basic questions like “who is a caregiver”, “what are the duties of a caregiver” and “what a caregiver should not do”.
Caregiver definition
A caregiver is more of a self-explanatory term that concerns an individual providing care, love, support, and a sense of companionship to a fellow individual. Per definition, a caregiver is any person who provides assistance, direct physical care and emotional support for other persons who cannot live independently and care for themselves due to age, illness, injury, disability or mental disorder. It most often refers to family caregivers who care for family members, neighbors and friends. As they usually don’t have any specific professional training, they are also described as informal caregivers comparing to differentiate them from the professional ones.
While supplemental care is required in any case of restricted mobility or chronic conditions, the notable group in need of additional assistance is senior citizens. Age is one of the primary reasons for dependence on carers. Nowadays, with an increase in the aging population in many countries, family caregivers’ role starts to be more recognized as an indispensable part of the system, both for functional and economic reasons. The support for caregivers still needs more sustainable improvements, to ease their burden and help them cope with all their duties.
Why are caregivers important?
From the primary caregivers to the caring of the old, family caregivers have been important in every society since the dawn of humanity. They keep having a significant role in modern health care. Not only they cover the care part that the public services cannot, but they are usually the main source of valuable information about the patient. A good comparison is to think of health care as a three-legged stool: the patient is one leg, health care providers the second, and the family caregivers the third. Each one is essential and necessary for a stable and effective system.
What are the duties of a caregiver?
From a general perspective, a caregiver is an individual that cares for or extends compassionate support and companionship to someone in need who requires continued assistance. This may include emotional and physical support but often extends to helping with activities of daily living and diverse personal and home-bound tasks. Typical duties of a caregiver might consist of more general tasks like daily chores, medication management, talking with health care providers on behalf of the care recipient, transportation, shopping, housekeeping and household errands, taking care of meal planning, to more personal care such as mobility, exercising, dressing, toileting, bathing, grooming. It might also include family support, managing finances and handling formal and informal documentation related to health for someone who cannot do these things alone.
Read in detail about what does a caregiver do with the more targeted duties and roles.
Caregivers in numbers
Besides being an act of love, affection, and willingness in a family surrounding, caregiving has also successfully transitioned into a recognized, full-time profession. With the current pandemic situation worldwide, the number of family caregivers and the demand for outsourced caregivers sky-rocketed.
AARP, a United States-based interest group, focusing on issues affecting those over the age of fifty, and the National Alliance for Caregiving published in May 2020 a new caregiving report for the USA that shows the significant increase in numbers comparing to the last report from 2015.
of Americans provide care to
an adult or child with special needs
caregivers caring for someone
are over the age of 18
of family caregivers are also
employed and working
of caregivers say the caregiving is
highly financially restraining
of caregivers are females
(comparing to 66% in 2015)
of caregivers care for multiple
care recipients simultaneously
report they do not have the help
of other unpaid caregivers
feel they didn’t have a choice
in taking on this role
Benefits of being a caregiver
Caregiving offers ample opportunities to serve others, regardless of their age and physical state. While the person procuring caregiving services is on the receiving end, it is also good to understand a bit more about the benefits of being a caregiver and the motivators that can fuel your pursuance and willingness to extend a helping hand to someone in need. Being a caregiver can:
- Help you acquire a sense of fulfilment and purpose.
- Allow you to realign priorities.
- Allow you to connect more deeply with the loved ones and forge stronger relationships.
- Make you capable of creating a significant difference in the life of someone in need.
What are the different types of caregivers?
Family caregivers
All family members or friends offering caregiving services to elders or ailing members in need fall in this category. While financial compensation isn’t usually involved, family caregivers dedicate either a significant part or full-time to their caregiving duties. They represent the largest group of caregivers and are irreplaceable pillars in every health and care system.
Independent caregivers
Individuals working as part-time or full-time caregivers without the backing of an agency are termed as independent professionals. While they are usually more affordable, you need to screen them thoroughly before using their services to make sure they can fulfil your requirements and meet your needs.
Professional caregivers in public health and care service
Trained and certified, these caregivers and are employed to provide medical or non-medical care and assistance in public health and care facilities, community services, children and adult daycare or provide services at the care recipients’ homes when necessary. Community care programs and the available services vary in different countries, states or provinces. Depending on the services provided, caregivers employees can have different qualifications and positions.
Private professional caregivers
Usually trained and certified, these caregivers provide medical or non-medical care in the home or a private facility. Mostly backed and provided by agencies, these individuals are extensively vetted for credibility and safety standards. Moreover, you can recruit them per preferences as they are screened and prepped according to the agency-set parameters.
Long-distance caregivers
Long-distance caregivers don’t live near their aging or ailing loved ones. Tending the health and care from a distance only adds up to their duties. It may seem as they don’t have the hour to hour assignments like nearby caregivers, but they do have as many concerns and pressures and some unique challenges. Long-distance caregiving requires constant communication with meticulous planning, organizing and hiring a good team to ensure that the person needing care is in good hands.
Respite caregivers
A respite or short-term caregiver can be another family member, a close friend or hired caregiver who fulfils the void in case of the absence of the usual family caregiver. With respite care, the family caregivers occasionally can get a necessary temporary rest from their caregiving duties.
Volunteer caregivers
Volunteer caregivers usually work in their local communities, mostly in respite or hospice care. They provide non-medical assistance, companionship, supervision and a friendly, supportive face to a care recipient when a regular family caregiver is not present. They may help family caregivers with their daily routines and errands. Although no qualification is required here, additional skills can come in hand.
Are you a caregiver?
A family caregiver can be anyone caring for a spouse, parent, child, extended family member, or even a friend or neighbour. Do you provide someone help with:
- Purchasing or organizing medications?
- Monitoring their medical condition?
- Transportation to medical appointments?
- Communicating with health care providers?
- Advocating on their behalf with providers, services or agencies?
- Getting in and out of beds or chairs, or mobility in general?
- Getting dressed?
- Bathing, showering and grooming?
- Grocery or other shopping?
- Housework and home errands?
- Preparing meals?
- Managing finances?
If you answered “yes” to any of the examples listed above, you are a caregiver and may consider asking for help from care support programs if there are any in your local community.
What are the benefits of getting a caregiver?
If you or someone close to you needs a caregiver and cannot organize it on your own, you might consider hiring a caregiver. Although you would try to do your best, not every caregiver is efficient or trained enough to handle the more intricate requirements of serviced individuals. If you are sceptical about getting an outsourced caregiver, consider the following benefits:
- Better care for the care recipient is always a top priority.
- Assistance with more specialized health and care services that fit your specific needs.
- The family member stays at home rather than being moved to a facility.
- Minimized physical and emotional burden for everyone involved.
- Assistance with household chores.
- A sense of support as there is always someone to talk to.
Are there specific qualifications to be mindful of when hiring a caregiver?
Although there aren’t defined caregiver qualifications to consider while recruiting someone, you need to evaluate if the person you are hiring can handle your specific needs and how your care recipient feels around that particular person. If it’s someone you know or an independent caregiver, all will depend on your mutual agreement about duties and responsibilities. Allow the adjustment period for all sides. However, to be on the safer side, in the case of hiring a professional caregiver, you might want to cross-check references and consider ones with at least 100 plus hours of training and on-premise experience. Moreover, if you are going for agency-backed caregivers, you need not worry about the qualifications as the concerned agency takes care of the professional credentials on your behalf.
Caregiver FAQs
Who are the primary caregivers?
A primary caregiver is the first line of contact, usually assigned with the duty of taking care of a loved one. Depending on the culture and various circumstances, there may be various members of the family engaged in care. The concept is also important in family law, for example, in guardianship and child custody.
What is another name for a caregiver?
There are many terms used to describe a caregiver role: care assistant, personal care attendant, companion. A nanny or governess is probably the best term to identify a caregiver for a child or toddler.
What qualities make a good caregiver?
While we can enlist several qualities like compassion, sensitivity towards the needs of others, reliability, efficiency and more, nothing is more important than patience when caregiving is concerned.
Do caregivers need formal training or qualifications?
If you are a family caregiver, you don’t need any particular qualifications, but you might want to consider upgrading your knowledge and skills. They might come in hand and help you be more efficient for your care recipient and yourself. If you consider caregiving as a professional career, you can get certified by enrolling in an accredited training course. Certified professional caregivers are the sought-after choice for specialized agencies, various institutions and families hiring assistance for their family members.
What should not any caregiver do?
Caregivers should never prioritize their comfort over that of the concerned individual they have been assigned to. But it is also essential that they don’t forget that their mental and physical health is also important. One cannot provide care for others if not feeling well. Caregiving is demanding and can be overwhelming, and sometimes that burden can be heavy on any caregiver. It is a priority to minimize the stress, caregiver burnout, sleep deprivation and depression, amongst other things that may influence a caregiver’s well-being.
How can the Gherry App help with caregiving?
Gherry app was created with family caregivers in mind, both for caregivers directly involved in care daily, or for long-distance caregivers. It will allow you to coordinate everyone involved in care efficiently, control medications and monitor health for you or your loved one. The app has all relevant tools in a single place to keep everyone in the loop, always informed and synchronized.
Bottom line
There might come a time when you or someone close requires attention at a personal level, something that goes beyond medical assistance of health care services. This is when a caregiver comes into the story, would it be you for someone close to you, or someone from your family for you. Caregiving requires extensive participation on every level, and it is not a job everyone can handle equally efficient. If you are about to become a caregiver, educate yourself and prepare for the role. If you feel you need a caregiver for yourself, consider with attention all qualifications and services you might need from a caregiver for your specific case.
