Personal caregivers provide assistance to those who are unable to perform personal care tasks due to physical or mental disabilities or temporary illnesses. They may perform menial tasks, assist with personal care needs, and display a cheerful demeanor. Caregivers may earn between $10 to $11 an hour and may share the work with family members. Both professional and amateur caregivers may experience caregiver stress. Finding a balance between professional and family care can reduce stress for everyone.
The term personal caregiver generally means an employed professional who works to meet the needs of someone who, in one or more ways, is unable to perform personal care tasks. It could be someone with long-term physical or mental disabilities or a person recovering from a temporary disabling illness. The amount of time a caregiver can give the person can range from an hour or two a few days a week to most of the time. Sometimes the personal caregiver lives in the person’s home and is available around the clock, although more often when this level of supervision is needed, two or more caregivers share this responsibility.
There is not necessarily defined training for the personal caregiver. Instead, they may have professional training or some are certified nursing assistants. If more medical supervision is needed, a home nurse or a visiting nurse can be used. Any medication administration, especially intravenously (IV), may require additional medical skill that a personal caregiver cannot provide.
Personal caregiver jobs can vary significantly. These workers often do menial tasks such as cleaning houses, changing bedding, vacuuming, etc. They could also buy or prepare meals for their customers. Part of the job can help clients with personal care needs. They may change diapers, help with bathing/bathing, or assist with a variety of personal hygiene tasks. Alternatively, they can help lift and move customers with limited mobility issues.
To some extent, caregivers are also there to display a cheerful demeanor and talk to those they care about. This can be very challenging as some patients are morbid, depressed or very angry. On the other hand, some customers are cheerful and delightful. It can vary from day to day and person, but caregivers of this nature can experience caregiver stress and their huge salaries do not mitigate this. American employees of this nature tend to earn between $10 to $11 an hour or less, little more than minimum wage.
Often, the personal caregiver shares the work of caring for someone with family members. Alternatively, family members may end up taking over the caretaker role for a relative. For the professional, sharing the work means not just dealing with the client. Caregivers may need to report back, get along, and support other families in different ways.
Even the relative amateur caregiver may need to hire a personal caregiver from time to time. Just as professionals are subject to caregiver stress, so are direct family members, perhaps more so because they are related to the people they care for. Finding a balance between professional and family care can be very helpful for everyone, reducing the stress that can be felt in a family.
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