What makes a Good Caregiver?
The best caregivers have the skills and dedication to their work. Here are some attributes that a make a great Los Angeles caregiver.
Personality
The personality of the caregiver is an important factor. This person will need to have empathy and selflessness. General human compassion isn’t enough. There are some traits that need to be there, including a positive attitude, choosing to care, being able to empower others, being sweet and being able to handle those bad days.
Experience
Experience is important factor. With experience comes the knowledge of how to handle situations and help with different needs quickly and efficiently.
Experience also brings skills that they have learned along the way. It could be dealing with something specific, which helps the client, or how to deal with particular characteristics, emotions or outbursts. When someone is looking for care for a specific condition, hiring someone with little or no experience may not be the best option, even when they have the best of intentions.
Reliability
Most of the work that a caregiver does is unsupervised. There are all sorts of problems that can happen and they can turn up late or not show up at all. Sometimes the issues can be genuine, but other times the caregivers come up with new excuses. Reliability is a must. If they can’t be relied upon to turn up on time, can they be relied upon to do all the necessary tasks and really make a difference?
References don’t always help here. Most people refused to declare the negatives about someone because they don’t want to expose themselves to problems. They also don’t want to ruin the employability of a person simply trying to make a living.
Being Honest
This isn’t just about stealing. They need to be honest in their limitations and abilities. They often find themselves in charge of a person’s money, prescription drugs and supplies. At times your caregivers might need time off but they need to be honest about the time they will take and come back when they say they will. They need to give enough notice that time needs to be taken to make sure the client doesn’t lose out.
All of the factors above can help make a caregiver a good one. Not all humans have every single quality on this list and some don’t have the right personality. The personality of the caregiver and patient in the caring relationship needs to fit in every capacity. This is just as important as knowledge and skill. For more information on finding the best Los Angeles caregiver or general questions about senior care Los Angeles call us today at: (323) 650-2211.