Becoming a live in caregiver is a decision that requires careful thought and a long-term commitment to the employer. A live in caregiver faces considerable stress and has responsibilities for the welfare of the person for whom they are providing care.
People considering this line of work need to assess whether being a caregiver is right for them and commit to taking care of themselves as well as the person they are caring for if they decide to become a caregiver. Being a caregiver is a stressful career. Managing that stress is extremely important for the health and wellbeing of the caregiver.
Live in caregivers may be tempted to allow their caregiver duties to take up all their time. It’s important for the caregiver to maintain outside interests and goals. If a caregiver loses their identity in the job, the stress can cause tremendous problems with the caregiver’s health.
If the caregiver stress becomes burdensome, the caregiver may need to reduce the time worked or seek support through a counselor or caregiver support group. Keeping healthy boundaries between the caregiver job and personal time is vitally important for managing caregiver stress. The caregiver should continue to work toward goals and maintain their outside relationships.
Some live in caregivers are people who are residents of the area. Some caregiver agencies specialize in placing foreign live in caregivers in the United States. Many live in caregivers enjoy close relationships with the people for whom they provide care. However, the caregiver should not neglect their own relationships outside of the job.
Live in caregivers are not to work twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Being a caregiver should be just one aspect of the caregiver’s life and not the entire thing. Often for caregiver agencies, a live in caregiver is expected to work five days a week. This allows the caregiver to attend classes or pursue other interests.
The live in caregivers may be hired by an individual, the family, or through a caregiver agency.
Some employers may require experience as a caregiver or in the health care field. Employers may also look for specialized training either as a caregiver or for specific skills like Red Cross CPR training. The prospective caregiver may need to show documentation as proof of class or training completion.
People looking to find work as live in caregivers may want to search employment websites on the Internet and local newspapers. The local unemployment office may have information on job openings for live in caregivers. The person looking for a caregiver job may want to send a caregiver resume to each of the local caregiver agencies.
When getting hired as a caregiver, the person may need to sign a caregiver contract. The caregiver contract usually describes the responsibilities of the caregiver. The contract may include house rules related to living in the home of the person for whom the caregiver will be providing care. There may be clauses of the contract that state actions that are prohibited such as discussing finances with the person who is receiving care.