Those whose job dwells around the caregiving occupation certainly are no angels. What they have differently are some 5 important skills of a good caregiver and it is that which constantly distinguish them as good caregivers. Apart from being compassionate and understanding individuals, anyone who chooses the caregiving profession certainly have some innate qualities that are beyond ordinary.
Due to popular understanding that the caregiver job is high-demand especially in countries with high stats of old people, many people have gone into the job circles majorly without even having passion or the necessary skills for it. Most of them are merely concerned with the mercenary advantage that is attached to the occupation. Thus, there is the big reason for this content.
Patiently, we need to look at some of the 5 important skills of a good caregiver. These skills are very well important because they are meant to guide and put anyone interested in the profession on the right footing against the many hazards involved.
Below are the 5 important skills of a good caregiver and they are what they should look out for:
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Interpersonality
Working as a caregiver is a very social job, and you’ll be interacting with people all day. Hence, a caregiver must be sociable and able to keep a very affable affair in their relationships both with their patients and the everyone around them. This will enable them remain professional and praiseworthy in this line of work as it is one of the 5 important skills of a good caregiver.
You don’t have to be an extrovert to work as a caregiver, but it certainly does help. Having a high level of social skills will go a long way towards helping you establish rapport, build trust and otherwise nurture a strong, open relationship with your clients.
These interpersonal skills will help not just you but your clients as well, as many home health patients can feel isolated. Interacting with a caregiver can help dispel some of those feelings of loneliness.
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Patience
As another one of the 5 important skills of a good caregiver, being patient is cherishable and should be encouraged as a paramount trait of that profession. Most home health clients are dealing with challenges of one type or another: significant mental and/or physical ailments, limited communication abilities, and more.
Clients may be irrational or critical (or both), require cleanups after accidents, and otherwise, lead to some frustrating situations. Caregivers need to remain calm in these scenarios, so having a near-unflappable personality is really important for successful patient care.
Read Also: How to Make Your Existence Meaningful to Others
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Compassion
Showing compassion means being able to tune in to other people’s distress and feeling a desire to alleviate it. This attribute is first on the list because many home health clients are in distressing and even painful situations (recovering from surgery, losing their memory to Alzheimer’s, etc.).
As a result, being caring and empathetic is an absolute must-have in terms of qualities for caregivers. Compassion may not be a “hard” skill the way clinical know-how or time management is, but it’s no less vital to caregiver work.
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Physical Stamina
Caregivers perform a variety of physical tasks, from carrying groceries to vacuuming to lifting patients. This however may lead them to go tired and weak if they are not readily strong enough for the tasks up ahead. In order to be able to withstand the rigors of the job then, they need this as one of the 5 important skills of a good caregiver.
No matter what they do, caregivers are often on their feet for long periods of time, sometimes almost their entire shift, which is why wearing comfortable shoes is so important! Having a baseline level of physical strength and stamina is important to maintaining your own health and that of your clients.
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Sanitation
It is not an understatement any longer and it cannot be underemphasized that caregivers must have the character of cleanliness. They must be inclined to always keeping a clean environment. Especially if the client is elderly, many caregivers help out with keeping the house clean during their visits, such as doing laundry or mopping.
(Heavy-duty tasks such as moving furniture, cleaning carpets, or mowing the grass are outside the scope of work though.) Even if you don’t keep your own home as neat as you want to, you’ll need to be able to clean your patient’s house until it’s clean. This standard also applies to personal hygiene because you’ll likely need to help your client bathe and get dressed.
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