Make Money Caring for Elders and Retirees

Caring for elders and retirees is a rewarding occupation, but it can be challenging. The aging population leads to an increased need for caregivers. At the same time caregivers for retirees are in high demand across the country, with most job seekers finding immediate openings. With the right training, you can provide care that will make your clients feel safe and at ease. There are usually two types of caregiver roles employers are looking for: Home Health Aides and Companions.

Home Health Aides

Home health aides help individuals who require assistance in their everyday lives, which can include anything from grooming to medication. In most instances, you’ll be assisting someone who is transitioning from a hospital or rehabilitation center back into their own home. Nurses and social workers often refer clients to home health aides, who are able to perform tasks that the patient’s family members cannot.

According to Money Crashers , you can expect your duties as an aide to include some of the following:

• Helping patients bathe or move around their homes
• Assisting with incontinence care
• Lifting and moving patients into chairs or onto beds
• Taking vital signs and recording medical information
• Assisting with toileting, including bed pans and urinals
• Eating and feeding patients who are unable to function independently
• Maintaining a clean home environment

Typical requirements for this sort of assistance include a high school diploma or equivalent, as well as formal training and passing an exam. While being a companion does generally need you to have your own transportation, this profession frequently does not necessitate your own car.

Based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, home health aid pay a median yearly wage of $27,080 or about $13 per hour in 2020. The U.S. Department of Labor predicts that the number of jobs for these caregivers will rise by 33% over the next eight years as Baby Boomers age.

There is a plethora of online programs that promise to teach you all you need to know in order to work as a home health aide. Many home health aide training programs last just two weeks, according on BizInsure, a marketplace for business insurance. Caregiver certification can cost anywhere from $200 and $1,000.

Companions

Job seekers who aren’t interested assisting with the bathing and toileting for the elderly might already have the skills to serve as a full-time or part-time companion. The most important thing for a companion is empathy – Someone who can step into someone else’s shoes and see the world from their perspective.

Having the right personality is crucial to being a successful companion. Companions are often thought of as friends or confidants for their patients, so you’ll need to be able to build rapport with them. You should also have patience and understanding. It can take some time before your patient warms up enough that they’re comfortable confiding in you.

Making sure your patient eats healthily, exercises and attends all their appointments are also important parts of this role. Companions help patients manage chronic conditions like diabetes or heart disease. Because many of these diseases can be prevented with lifestyle choices, companions also teach their patients about healthy eating habits and offer support for maintaining an active routine while recovering from surgery.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, companions make a median yearly wage of $20,890 or about $10 per hour in 2020. Keep in mind that this sort of work is generally done on a contract basis and does not provide health insurance or other benefits.

What are Employers Looking for in a Caregiver?

Many caregivers are medical students or individuals who wish to train as a physical therapist, but many are wonderful people with no prior academic or medical education wanting to work part-time or full-time.

Many employers do not demand that job applicants have prior experience working with the elderly in a professional environment. They look for individuals who have cared for a family member at some point in their lives for six months or more. For example: someone who cared for a sibling with Down syndrome, someone who cared for an individual with intellectual development difficulties, or someone who cared for their spouse is a fantastic companion.

How Rewarding Is Being a Caregiver?

The job of caregiver is extremely rewarding and the flexible hours that come with it make this career perfect for parents or individuals who want to stay home during their children’s school hours.

Caregivers also love the chance to work close to family, as they can live at their parents’ house and become their primary caregivers during the day. At the same time, the aging population has pushed many retirees to work longer hours. Which means that retirees are now hiring caregivers for multiple days during the week instead of only one or two days.

Caregivers and seniors can work closely together and form a bond that’s extremely beneficial for the aging population.

Caregiver Work Environment

When you work as a caregiver, your clientele will be the elderly, the handicapped, and anyone else who needs assistance with their everyday lives. This means they can live in nursing homes or assisted living communities located near family members. Sometimes they live alone but are unable to care for themselves properly without assistance from a caregiver.

Caregivers can work full-time or part-time and pick up as many hours as they want to work. Many caregivers either move into a senior citizen’s home or they travel to their clients’ homes several times a week in order to provide care for them.

In the same way, live-in caregivers might stay overnight with their clients so they can bathe, help them to the restroom, monitor their medication intake, and bring them snacks.

Caregivers might work alone or in a team of caregivers depending on the needs of the elderly person they care for. For example: if it’s an individual who has to attend physical therapy sessions several times a week, a team of caregivers will rotate shifts in order to make sure the elderly individual goes to all of their appointments.

Bottom Line

Becoming a caregiver may not be an intuitive career choice, but it can certainly be rewarding. The home health aide and companion professions typically do not require prior experience or specific prerequisites. If you’re interested in caring for seniors, contact local senior centers to inquire about classes which can teach you everything from how to properly lift a patient to proper communication skills when speaking to a patient.

If you’re a retiree who needs some extra assistance or a parent who needs some help caring for their children, then become a caregiver. The flexible hours and the chance to work at home make this a very attractive profession for many retirees and parents. For more information about caregiving jobs, visit the government’s website for caregiver jobs and resources:  http://jobsearch.usajobs.gov/