Q&A in relation to becoming a caregiver

By Jonathan Acton - jonathan.acton@homeinstead.ie

In the last few weeks, we have seen a rise in applications to become a Home Instead caregiver. These applications are most welcome as we are seeing a sharp rise in enquiries from families looking to provide care for their loved ones.

In addition we continue to work closely with the HSE to provide seamless quality care in the home for seniors.

The professional guidance and support we receive from key personnel in the HSE is second to none.

One common theme that strikes me working with the HSE is the importance they place on the clients’ needs being of paramount importance.

In light of the recent rise in enquiries, I thought I would take this opportunity to address some of the more common questions we receive.

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What qualifications, training and experience do I need to become a Home Instead Senior Care caregiver?

To become a caregiver with Home Instead, you will need a minimum qualification of QQI level 5 in Health and community care.

During this Covid crisis, the QQI requirement has been relaxed as most course providers have moved to online training.

Other relevant qualifications, such as nursing or social care, can be accepted.

If in doubt, call Aisling in our office on 04493 85260 and she will check your qualification or guide you to the best course provider in your locality.

We will then call you for interview, check references, and successful candidates will then complete our online induction programme.

We then arrange for you to shadow some clients receiving care and make sure you are comfortable and happy to provide the many tasks involved in home/personal care.

In addition, we offer training in areas of dementia care, challenging behaviour and patient moving and handling.

All our training is completely free and our team in the office will be glad to help you along.

How will I meet my new clients for the first time?

Great Question! A care manager (CM) from Home instead will match up a caregiver with your loved one and take it from there.

The CM will then contact the caregiver, describing the person and their care plan with a view to setting up an introduction.

The CM will then personally introduce the client to the caregiver and discuss with the client and their family the plan of care.

Home Instead staff then follow up with the client and caregiver and the CM will call to the house to ensure caregiver and client are a good match and both are happy with the arrangement.

What are the ideal personality traits for a caregiver and what hours will I be working?

A caregiver should obviously have a caring nature and be able to empathise with people who are vulnerable.

You must be trustworthy and respectful as you are entering a person’s home to provide sometimes very intimate care.

Considering this, confidentiality must be observed and practised in everything you do as a professional caregiver.

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When I interview potential candidates I check all of the above but finally I always ask myself, ‘would I be happy for this person to provide care for my mother or grandmother?’.

You see at Home Instead Senior Care, ‘To Us It’s Personal’ is much more than a tag line for the radio or TV. It’s an ethos that we practise in everything we do.

For example, we personally introduce you to a new client, we ensure the family has the same personal contact in our office and we personally meet with caregivers and families to talk about any issues that arise.

In relation to working hours, you are completely flexible to choose a working roster that suits you.

We will call with a potential match and if it suits you, then we move forward to an introduction.

You control this and are free to say yes or no. If you say yes, we expect you will be the key worker for that person and built a caring rapport with them.

If this sounds like something you would like to try please check out homeinstead.ie or call us on 04493 85260. We would be delighted to hear from you.