Being a caregiver is a rewarding job that allows you to care for older adults who need help while supporting and positively impacting your community in Massachusetts. It is challenging to work as an independent caregiver; that’s why most caregivers choose to work for a home care agency. If you are on the hunt for a caregiver job but don’t know what kind of agency to work for, here are some things to remember when applying and interviewing for your next caregiver job. What to look for and ask your potential employer
1. An agency that sees the value of their employees’ hard work. These agencies offer competitive pay, bonuses, and the opportunity for a raise. They also put effort into recognizing outstanding performance with awards to exemplary employees. 2. An agency that cares for the well-being of its employees. They provide paid sick leave when you get sick and need to take some time off. They offer benefits such as 401K retirement programs and competitive health insurance plans. They are willing to work with their employees to provide them with a flexible work schedule or allow them to work part-time. 3. An agency with supportive management and staff who will encourage and support you throughout your career as a caregiver and be there for you when you have any questions or experience challenges with your clients. 4. An agency that provides on-the-job training to ensure its caregivers will be successful and ensure they understand the role and expectations of the job. 5. An agency that values its staff and invests in them by offering their staff training courses to further their knowledge and skill set. The basic requirements of a caregiver Finding your dream job is one thing. Getting hired for it is another, so you must ensure that you meet and exceed home care agency’s basic requirements. The best home care agencies strive to provide the best care to their clients by choosing the best caregivers to work for them. These agencies will likely require a minimum of one year of experience as a caregiver, including either caring for an elder in your family or having experience as a professional caregiver. Most agencies will require you to be either an HHA or CNA-certified caregiver. Other conditions may include passing a background check, a TB test, the ability to speak, read and write English, and having good references. Good home care agencies will also choose compassionate employees dedicated to their job as a caregiver. Read this article to learn more about what home care agencies look for in caregivers. Join our team today! If you are looking for a rewarding job where you can provide comfort and assistance to seniors, have the support of a caring and experienced office staff, and have room to grow and develop your skills as a professional caregiver, we are the agency for you! Visiting Angels Newton/Canton has been providing home care services to seniors in Brookline, Boston’s (Upper) Back Bay, Canton, Dedham, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Natick, Needham, Newton, Norwood, Roslindale, Stoughton, Watertown, Wellesley, Westwood, and West Roxbury, and neighboring communities in Massachusetts since 2004. We genuinely value our caregivers and provide them with the training and support needed to succeed in their careers. This could be the perfect fit for you! If a caregiver job at Visiting Angels Newton/Canton is something you are interested in pursuing, we would love to meet you! Click this link to apply for a caregiver job today or call us at (617) 795–2727.
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It is not uncommon for families and friends to live a great deal of distance from each other, including their elderly parents.
Whether you have relocated for work or your loved one has retired to an adult community, you likely do not get to spend as much time with your parent as you would like. A visit every few months and a daily phone call can show your loved one that you care, but you may be missing crucial signs that they need more in-home living assistance than you realize. A small dent in their car, a refrigerator full of spoiled food, or a bruise from a fall they are too proud to admit could all be warning signs of underlying problems that you cannot see over the phone or via Zoom. Face-to-face interaction tends to remove the veil that is masking independence. That is why most home health care providers are hired at or around the holidays. But in many cases, underlying issues don’t begin during the holidays. That’s just when most people become aware that their loved ones require support. Staying On Top of Your Elderly Parent’s Care Many people’s fine motor skills will decrease as they age. The changes can happen slowly or rapidly. This could make it hard for a senior to do everyday tasks that they have taken for granted, such as preparing food or dealing with fasteners on clothes. Here are a few other variations you can’t see over the phone, but all of which could be signs that your loved one needs more care to live safely, comfortably, and happily at home:
Hire Professional Caregivers to Help Senior home care is an increasingly popular way to help your parents maintain their independence in their own home. The one-on-one caregiver will inevitably build a relationship with your loved one through the actions of going into their home to help with daily tasks — like assistance with hygiene, dressing or toileting, as well as meal preparation, light housekeeping, and grocery shopping. If your loved one loves to cook but has trouble standing that long or carrying in groceries, a caregiver can help with that, too — driving to the grocery, carrying the bags in, and assisting in the kitchen. The caregiver can be an additional part of your care team, so you can have peace of mind about your senior loved one’s health from afar. Even if you live close to your elderly loved one, it may be that a professional caregiver can spot warning signs that an untrained eye might miss, mainly related to dementia. There are small signs that can indicate problems, like little memory lapses or difficulty with numbers. Being proactive with your elderly loved one’s care now can help keep them safe and continue to live independently in their home. And in doing so, you will have more quality time and peace of mind during the holidays. About Visiting Angels Newton/Canton Visiting Angels Newton/Canton MA is an award-winning home care agency providing high-caliber home care services to the elderly and adults with disabilities for over seventeen years. Countless families have benefited from our senior companion care, dementia and Alzheimer’s home care, live-in and 24–7 care, transitional aid, respite care services, and in-home care services for seniors in Watertown, Brookline, Dedham, Needham, Stoughton, Canton, Jamaica Plain, Natick, Wellesley, Newton, Norwood, Westwood, Upper Back Bay, Roslindale, and neighboring communities. The non-medical assistance provided by Visiting Angels Newton/Canton HHA and CNA-certified in-home caregivers can make a significant impact on your loved one’s happiness and quality of life. Visiting Angels Newton/Canton follows all CDC and Massachusetts safety guidelines and precautions. We will require all of our employees to be vaccinated or in the process of receiving vaccination by October 1, 2021 — except those with special religious or health reasons. Those who cannot be vaccinated will have regular testing and will follow rigorous safety protocols. We are committed to the health and safety of our clients and employees. Your senior loved one may have hearing loss, limited mobility, an inability to manage household chores, or health complications. It makes sense that as you work to arrange care, managing straightforward tasks is top of mind: hearing aids, a walker, help with dishes — check, check, check. These are essential tasks to achieve. But many older people suffer from loneliness, depression, and isolation, too. Loneliness has been shown to precipitate declining health and can inhibit independence and mobility. That problem is not as easily solved. Loneliness can be an issue even for seniors who are not living alone. As you approach care options, there are multiple paths — primarily, task-centered care vs. person-centered professional caregiving — and it’s essential to consider the strengths, weaknesses, and outcomes in choosing a route for your loved one. 1. What is Task-Centered (or Task Management) Care?
Task-centered care is a social work practice frequently used in hospitals, nursing homes, and assisted-living facilities to accomplish measurable, specific goals quickly. A target condition is identified by a medical professional, along with steps to get there. For instance, in a hospital, the target might be discharge, and the steps would be the checklist to get there. A goal is accomplished, and the project is over. A problem with task-centered care is that the person affected is often not even involved. A study by BMC Geriatrics of the effects of person-centered care notes the many problems with the task-centered model. Care Is “primarily granted and delivered based on physical and functional needs, while psychosocial needs and quality of life requirements (quality of life) have been given less priority [causing a] gap between needs and services, between expectations and experiences, which may lead to expressions of dissatisfaction.” Furthermore, the study cites other findings that have demonstrated how “a trusting relationship between the older person and professional staff is essential to enable shared decision making to facilitate the older person’s autonomy and sense of being respected.” The research also finds another major issue with task-centered care, particularly in nursing homes: keeping good staff. Citing many previous reports, the authors note that “when it comes to nursing home services, a growing crisis has been described with high turnover rates and challenges in recruiting and retaining skilled care professionals. In addition, employees have reported experiences of dissatisfaction and frustration with work, citing a stressful and hectic environment, increasing demands for efficiency, not having sufficient time to converse, provide the “little extras” and support in the psychosocial domain.” But it doesn’t have to be this way, the authors say, and person-centered care is the solution: “Other studies in aged care have shown positive results from implementing a person-centered approach. For example, a report that implemented person-centered care in rehabilitation treatment resulted in functional improvements and higher satisfaction. Also, […] increased involvement in care resulted in lower costs, higher physical function, and shorter stays in hospital after hip fractures [and] person-centered care of older people with dementia can prevent and reduce agitation and depression.” 2. The Importance of an Interpersonal Connection While task-centered assistance can provide the absolute bare minimum of care your loved one needs, a professional caregiver offers that interpersonal connection that supplements task-centered aide essentially and exponentially. A professional caregiver offers holistic care to ensure the emotional and social needs of your loved one — needs that may not fall under task-centered care — are also met. While the above study demonstrates the danger of isolation, it can be helpful to consider real anecdotes, too. For example: In the aftermath of a stroke, an 86-year-old Florida woman, who lived most of the year alone, began receiving regular visits from a physical therapist and a nurse to aid in her recovery. Her family — nearby and closely involved in her care — found peace of mind in having their experience on hand and were thankful for some reprieve. While her family anticipated a boost in her physical health, they didn’t expect what ended up being the most significant benefit: her absolute joy in having the caregivers regularly visit and the resulting immediate improvement in her mental health. The aging woman recovering from a stroke relished the conversations she’d have during the visits, what they worked on, a funny thing about so-and-so. It was a social side of her that her family hadn’t seen in years. And — despite family members having tried everything to get her to do simple exercises — she eagerly performed these tasks for her caregivers. She wanted to do her best for these new people in her life, in the way that one puts forth even extra energy and effort at the beginning of a friendship or relationship. She was happy to be forging new connections and not to feel so isolated. Within weeks, she walked with energy around the house and completed tasks she hadn’t handled by herself in years. Not every instance will play out the same way, of course. That stroke was a wake-up call and her expeditious treatment allowed for a full recovery. But this is far from the only example of professional caregivers making a drastic difference in the lives of those they visit. The regularity of a visitor, the conversation, the company to anticipate, the “new friend” — these things can defeat loneliness and boost the quality (and length) of one’s life. The National Institutes of Health cites several studies demonstrating the adverse effects of social isolation in older adults — and not just mentally or emotionally. Per the NIH: “Social relationships are consistently associated with biomarkers of health. Positive indicators of social well-being may be associated with lower levels of interleukin-6 in otherwise healthy people. Interleukin-6 is an inflammatory factor implicated in age-related disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease, and some forms of cancer. Social isolation constitutes a major risk factor for morbidity and mortality, especially in older adults” and “People who are lonely frequently have elevated systolic blood pressure.” 3. What Can a Professional Caregiver Do Differently? Many older individuals are adamant about staying in their own homes. But as their health declines and the number of tasks they can no longer manage grows, the situation can become challenging. This is why many families turn to home health aides, who can help with grooming, household chores, exercise, taking medication, etc. But in a much more universal way, a professional caregiver can help by keeping loneliness and depression at bay and providing bright spots in what tend to be otherwise long and empty days that stretch into weeks and months. At Visiting Angels Newton/Canton, Your loved one is matched with a caregiver they connect with, who they look forward to seeing. Their companion gives them energy, on top of the benefits inherent in being in their own home, which lets them maintain essential self-respect and a sense of agency in being involved in their care plan. In a nursing home or assisted living facility, task management care is the common practice; it’s about checklists, the dedicated interpersonal aspect that seniors need is almost always missing. A professional caregiver goes beyond a measurable task. They are not shuffled room to room, marking charts and moving right along. Their presence is consistent and long-term; they become a reliable conversation partner, as well as an aid in health, well-being, and day-to-day needs. Loneliness is a serious health issue, and the companionship of a professional caregiver — someone who is focused on the person, not another list of tasks — can help stave off the isolation that leads to loneliness and depression. About Visiting Angels Newton/Canton Visiting Angels Newton/Canton MA is an award-winning home care agency that has been providing high-caliber in-home care services for the elderly and people with disabilities for over seventeen years. Countless families have benefited from our at-home care, senior companion support, respite care, live-in and 24-hour assistance, dementia and Alzheimer’s care, transitional aid, and private duty care services in Natick, Wellesley, Dedham, Needham, Stoughton, Brookline, Canton, Watertown, Jamaica Plain, Newton, Norwood, Roslindale, Upper Back Bay, Westwood, and neighboring communities. The non-medical assistance provided by Visiting Angels Newton/Canton home care providers can make a significant impact on your loved one’s happiness and quality of life. Given the close, personal nature of in-home elder care, Visiting Angels Newton/Canton believes that care should be tailored for each client. Furthermore, our clients must have a say in how their services are personalized. Exemplary senior home care agencies give clients plenty of choices, allowing them to structure care as they see fit. Other providers offer limited flexibility and control, giving clients limited options for customized care. At a glance, you might not think that this makes a big difference. But in the world of eldercare services, the more control you’re afforded, the more likely there will be a positive outcome and satisfaction of care for your loved one. Why Customization Matters in Senior Home Care In-home services allow seniors and disabled adults the ability to “age in place,” i.e., live at home for as long as possible. Without in-home senior care, older adults may need to move into an assisted living or nursing care facility. With elder care, they can continue living in the place where they feel most comfortable and secure: at home. This is crucial for U.S. seniors, 90% of whom wish to age in place for as long as possible. Yet “aging in place” only tells part of the story. Elderly home care services aren’t only there to help seniors remain in the same physical space. They’re also there to help seniors continue their preferred way of life. A home health aide can prepare favorite meals, assist with light housekeeping, offer accompaniment on social outings, and help senior adults maintain their lifestyle in many other ways. The ideal elder care services provider will accommodate your loved one’s lifestyle preferences, as well as his or her unique age-related concerns. This is done through customized elder care services, in which the client gets to dictate critical aspects of care. This way, your loved one can build care around their current lifestyle, receiving care on their schedule and according to their personal preferences. Compare this with pre-set caregiving programs. A pre-set approach forces your loved ones to rebuild their lives around their elder care services. Instead of continuing their usual routine, your loved one may need to accommodate their caregiver’s schedule. With customized elder care services, your loved one won’t just continue to live in their home. They’ll also continue to live on their terms. The takeaway is simple: The more control they have during the care-planning process, the higher the quality of care they can expect. Choosing the Right Elderly Home Care Services Different elder care providers offer various levels of customization. It is recommended that you research home care agencies to find the right provider. You might find the perfect elder care agency on your first consultation or interview several agencies and caregivers before making your decision. This process will be much easier if you know what you need from a home health aide. Before your first consultation, spend time speaking with your loved one about how they envision their life with eldercare. What are their current routines? How important is it that they continue them? Which aspects of their lifestyle are they most attached to and why? What are their biggest concerns about eldercare? By asking and thinking about these questions, you and your loved one will have a much stronger sense of what you’re looking for in senior home care services. When evaluating different providers, you may want to ask:
Do you have a loved one in need of senior home care? Call Visiting Angels Newton/Canton today to request a free in-home consultation and discuss your loved one’s options for customized care. About Visiting Angels Newton/Canton Visiting Angels Newton/Canton MA is an award-winning home care agency that has been providing high-caliber at-home living assistance to seniors and people with disabilities for over seventeen years. Countless families have benefited from our in-home care, elder companion support, live-in and 24-hour assistance, dementia and Alzheimer’s care, transitional aid, and respite care services in Dedham, Needham, Stoughton, Brookline, Canton, Watertown, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Natick, Wellesley, Newton, Norwood, West Roxbury, Roslindale, Upper Back Bay, Westwood, and neighboring communities. The non-medical assistance provided by Visiting Angels Newton/Canton home care providers can make a significant impact on your loved one’s happiness and quality of life. Each year, countless seniors break and fracture bones due to slips, trips, and falls. According to the National Safety Council, falls are the leading cause of injury deaths to individuals age 65 and older. Something as simple as tripping over a rug or slipping on a wet spot on the kitchen floor can be life-threatening. Hip fractures are a particular danger. The recovery period can take up to 12 months, may require transitional care, and comes with a significant risk of life-threatening complications.
Older adults are more prone to falling due to failing eyesight, hearing problems, stiff or painful joints, less muscle tone, and poor coordination, among other reasons. Heart diseases, diabetes, thyroid problems, blood vessel problems, and nerve damage can also affect their balance. Sometimes medications cause dizziness and can result in a fall. Your senior loved one may wish to age in the comfort of his or her own home. It is crucial, then, to implement fall prevention measures to keep their living space safe. Visiting Angels home care services has a Safe and Steady Fall Prevention Resource Guide that can help you identify risk factors in your senior loved one's home and take steps to reduce the risks of suffering a fall. It contains essential information about
Fear of falling should not stop your senior from staying active. A home caregiver can engage your senior in an exercise program that's right for them, such as taking walks or gardening. Your loved one will get regular exercise to improve strength and muscle tone and keep joints, ligaments, and tendons flexible. Home caregivers for seniors will provide peace of mind in the event of an injury or accident. In a worst-case scenario, a senior could fall and remain on the floor, be injured for several hours or days because they live alone, cannot move, or are unable to make a phone call. Professionally-trained caregivers regularly check in, call and visit elderly clients to ensure they are cared for and safe. Should a senior suffer a fall or accident, an HHA-certified home caregiver will be able to get help quickly. For more information on fall prevention and home care services, please call 617-795-2727. About Visiting Angels Newton/Canton Visiting Angels Newton/Canton MA is an award-winning home care agency providing high-caliber in-home care services to the elderly and people with disabilities. Countless families have benefited from our in-home senior care, respite care, elder companion care, live-in and 24-hour care, dementia and Alzheimer's care, transitional aid, and at-home living assistance services in Brookline, Boston, Canton, Dedham, Natick, Needham, Newton, Norwood, Stoughton, Watertown, Wellesley, Westwood, and nearby communities. The non-medical care provided by Visiting Angels Newton/Canton can make a significant impact on your loved one's happiness and quality of life. Call us at 617-795-2727 to book a free in-home consultation with one of our knowledgeable case managers today! |
AuthorVisiting Angels Newton/Canton is an award-winning in-home care agency that provides high quality home care to seniors and disabled adults in Greater Boston, MA. Archives
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