We all know that a caregiver must be patient, compassionate,
relatable, affable, a good listener, reliable, etc. While this is a
good list (in fact, essential), it's not newsworthy. A caregiver who embodies all of those attributes is probably a good caregiver, but there are a few essential things that they must also posses to make them great.
Over 100 prospective caregivers apply to HealthBridge
each week. Over the years, we've refined our process to dig deep and
find the best of the best. So, here are the things that we look for
that separate the good caregivers from the great.
- Initiative.
Good caregivers do the tasks assigned to them proficiently and
efficiently. Great caregivers understand the scope of care needed and
think creatively about how they can help. They take initiative for the
betterment of their client.
- Eloquence. Good
caregivers are excellent listeners. Great caregivers engage their
clients in stimulating conversation. They communicate effectively to
the client and family, accurately conveying the events of the day as
well as any pertinent health information.
- Commitment to Career.
Excellent caregivers have a calling to care for seniors. This is what
they do because they're passionate about it, because they love seniors
and because they're good at it. For great caregivers, senior care is
most definitely a career.
- Bedside Manner & Human Contact.
Great caregivers know that human contact is an essential element in
care and healing. Seniors want to develop a relationship with their
caregiver - not become friends on facebook.
- Customer Service Focus. The
more I think about it, this may be the most important one. In
healthcare, like all other industries, the customer must always come
first. Great caregivers implicitly understand this. They consider
what's best for the client when making every decision. With this as
their focus, they always succeed.
- For more on selecting caregivers that work, check out the Selecting Caregivers section on HealthBridge.
- Request a call from a HealthBridge care manager, If you identified a senior care need and would like to discuss it.
- Subscribe to HealthBridge to stay current on senior care news, tips, resources and more.