As advancements in health and education keep improving developed societies are evolving into a growing population of aging individuals. With over 50 million Americans now over 65 years, America has aged faster in the last decade than it has done in any other decade before. Many more are swimming into the aging pool thereby creating an urgent need for caregivers.
Looking for a caregiver job in the USA could seem like an easy ride on the surface; however, like every other job, a strict adherence to professionalism is an instrumental aspect of succeeding. The caregiver job while offering a broad spectrum of opportunities is also demanding in its personality demand, qualifications, experience, and temperaments.
Also given the unique demand in every distinct caregiver job opening, it becomes important for job seekers in the caregiving sectors to be sophisticated individuals able to adapt to different environments and individuals.
Understanding caregiver jobs that are usually available
Traditionally when people discuss caregiving jobs, the focus is usually on the elderly. While the elderly constitute a greater percentage of the caregiver job in the United States, it is not limited to caring for the aged. Several times caregiving may be required for young individuals as well.
Although it is not always common for younger individuals to require caregiving, it is not also as rare as we may like to assume. Young individuals who are victims of accidents or other forms of injury or ailments that could result in prolonged hospitalization or prolonged care could need caregivers especially when parents or family of such young individuals who are not able to fully care for themselves are not constantly available.
Caregiver jobs have the ability to provide for and support individuals who are not able to attend to some basic life aspects without assistance. Such calls for compassion and humanity and if you fall into such people who could care for such individuals then there are needs for people like you.
Caregiver jobs and their opportunities for both locals and foreigners
Note that many migrants have secured employment leveraging the abundant opportunities in the American caregiver market. It is huge and while Americans still constitute the majority of the caregiver provision service in the country, a huge chunk of the sector falls on the shoulders of foreigners.
We will examine the available caregiver jobs in the USA that are now open first from the perspective of the local job seekers and then foreign job seekers. Such local job seekers include foreigners who have gained permanent residence status or citizenship this emphasis is important to distinguish between different classes of foreigners on American soil. If you are applying as foreigner, ensure that you have a means of migration to the United States as the jobs listed are not remote.
Common Requirements for Securing a Caregiver Job
The available caregiver jobs that we shall enlist would outline their requirements; however we do understand that there are several other caregiver jobs available as such we would discuss the common requirements for caregiving jobs in the United States; note that these requirements may vary among the caregiver jobs on our list. It is recommended that you go through each specific caregiver vacancy requirements.
Most available caregiver jobs stress the following requirements:
- Educational Qualification: Depending on the particular caregiver job available, often a diploma in healthcare service, nursing, hospitality, humanity, etc. could do. For most caregiver jobs, personality trumps qualification however qualifications especially in the healthcare categories are in high demand. An RN (Registered Nurse) degree or its equivalent would be of the most immense demand however as Stated earlier, a caregiver job is about compassion yet professionalism and qualification are instrumental criteria in not just getting employed but also in determining benefits.
- Personality: A strong compassionate personality is required for most caregiving jobs. You are to care for humans, not machines, it is required that you are able to show empathy and love for your care recipients.
- Ability to attend to basic human care and house chores: Caregivers are expected to be able to cook, and serve meals, in some cases, caregivers may need to assist their care recipient in personal care like bathing, applying body cream, and makeup, laundry and dressing up their care recipient. Also taking care of toiletries both in assisting the care recipient in getting to the toilet and flushing the toilet may be part of the job. All these may not apply in all situations but it is important to anticipate and prepare for such scenarios.
- Effective communication: Maintaining a conversation is often a desirable quality for caregiver jobs. Most of the care recipients are either people who have reduced social life given age limitations or other limitations warranting their need for a caregiver. Being able to hold a conversation about your care recipient’s interests may improve your ratings and also make your work easier.
- Resilient and ability to manage deteriorating mental condition: If you are going to care for elderly people, it is important to understand that in several cases, as time passes, there could be deterioration in mental condition. This could be in the form of Alzheimer’s disease or other indications of age-related cognition challenges. Whatever the case may be, caregivers need to be prepared for a different mental dimension. This is especially true in care recipients over 80 years.
- For foreigners (Migration plan): As a foreigner aspiring to secure a caregiver job in the USA, you may consider a migration plan. Such migration plans may include targeting firms that support sponsorship visas. Learn more about Sponsorship Visa Here. Also you may consider the family-sponsored visa route if you have a family that’s domiciled in the country.
- Effective use and care of modern equipment, utensils and environment: In several caregiving jobs, some care recipient’s properties may fall into the care of the caregiver. These may include house care, kitchen equipment and utensils care and use. The ability to operate home electronics like computers, televisions, and other smart equipment may be required in several caregiver jobs.
- Ability to drive: Several caregiving jobs may require you to drive your care recipient from one point to the other. Holding a valid driver’s license would be a credible verification of that aspect.
- Caregiving training undertaking or medical knowledge or experience: Individuals aspiring to partake in caregiving need considerate health knowledge. Such individuals may also acquire a diploma in caregiving. Earlier experience or knowledge of healthcare is always vital in caregiver jobs. This enables caregivers to be able to assist health experts and ensure adherence to prescriptions by care recipients.
Typical caregiver Roles
Different caregiving jobs may require different roles. Sometimes, a single caregiving job may encompass several roles. Let’s talk about the typical caregiver job roles.
- Personal care provision: This may be more casual personal care like laundry, cooking and serving, and cleaning the rooms of care recipient at other times it may encompass much more like bathing, change of clothes, and makeup for care recipients.
- Role of human reminders: Caregivers serve as human reminders. In the case of caregiving jobs where caregiving has a compromised memory process, it is the duty of the caregiver to remind the care recipients of events and assist them in attending to so. This includes prescription adherent reminders, doctor’s appointment reminders, and other crucial events that may skip the caregiver’s memory. This may also include special events in the caregiver’s life like children’s, other family and friends’ birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, etc.
- Physical assistance: Such assistance may include mobility, getting the phone, arranging the living room or caregiver’s bedroom, etc.
- Social assistance: This entails accompanying the care recipient to events. Building quality relationships where there’s trust and mutual respect between the caregiver and care recipient.
There are still other crucial roles for caregiving jobs. Some are more unique but the above listed are the most common. The jobs that we would be listing may have varying requirements, roles and demands. Other caregiver jobs may also have additional demands. Always identify the particular demand of each job offering before venturing in.
Common Benefits of Caregiver Jobs Regarding Listed Jobs
Note that because we have multiple job listings, we are not able to include each job’s specific benefits. During your application, you will be able to access the benefits of your potential job. Nevertheless, we have listed some common benefits that apply to the majority of our caregiver jobs in the USA listing.
- Possible insurance coverage benefits: Several caregiving jobs come with insurance packages for employees, ranging from health insurance to others.
- Additional Education: Every caregiving service firm is unique in the manner and approaches to their services. This may warrant additional training for employees to be able to deliver quality service and care better for care recipients. Sometimes these additional training may be in the areas of health, communication, and hospitality. Whatever the case may be, such learning acquired will benefit the caregiver throughout life.
- Support, Appreciation, and Care from family and friends of the care recipient: Although this isn’t always captured in the caregiving job recruitment portal, this is one of the most amazing aspects of caring for others. Often families, friends, and other individuals who love your care recipients may show appreciation in one way or another. Above the material gifts comes the part where by giving love then caregivers receive love in return
- Amazing salary and retirement plan: Caregiving jobs have some of the most amazing salary structures. In many cases, some firms support retirement funds. A percentage is saved for the caregiver for retirement. It is a little tough to pinpoint the salary benefits of caregivers as qualifications, experience, and nature of caregiving job may result in different salaries. The most important thing is that a caregiving job may earn an average salary of about $17.5 per hour.
Apart from these few benefits, each caregiver firm has its unique benefits. Even each care recipient may bring additional benefits.
Caregiving jobs currently open
If you are applying for any of the available jobs as an international applicant please, do inquire from the firm if they support sponsorship visa for their employee. You can do this by contacting them on the phone, website, live chat, or via their social media handle. Also, applicants must note that the information we provide here is not complete, endeavor to make further inquiries and discover more about your potential employer.
1. O’Connel Care at Home: O’Connel Care at Home is a caregiving service firm that is built on value and compassion. The firm focuses on providing care at care recipients’ homes instead of providing a dedicated care facility. To join the O’Connel team, You can search for available jobs at O’Connel Care at Home and Apply Here.
2. Reliant at Home Care: Another caregiving firm in the USA that goes beyond caring for its care recipients is Reliant at Home Care. They also crafted several beneficial packages for its workers. To learn more about Reliant at home, visit their website by clicking here or apply for their vacancies Here.
3. Home Instead: One of the leading caregiving firms in Omaha, Nebraska isn’t done with its recruitment of fine caregivers yet, if you feel that you would offer compassionate service to our beloved aging population or other individuals in need of care, make the move today to join the Home Instead Workforce. Inquire further on their website here or search job opening and apply to join their team; search job opening and apply to join their workforce here.
4. Angels Care Home Health: As the baby boomers are now constituting a huge chunk of those needing care, the need for more recruits is expanding. Our world is aging quicker and angels are not always on the other side. They are here with us and you could be one of such angels providing care to our elderly and others. To join the Angels Care Home Health Team, visit their website Here.
5. Comfort Keepers: Providing comfort and warmth is hospitality to do that for those who in most cases aren’t able to return the favor is humanity. Caregiving is hospitality mixed with humanity and at comfort Keepers, these two values are mixed into their core ideologies. To join the Comfort Keepers workforce, Click Here to access their recruitment portal.
Conclusion
Humankind being social creatures are always in need of constant care and attention. It is easier for youth to get all of these. Given age and other forms of incapacitation, several people especially elderly individuals aren’t always able to get this social warmth.
Being a caregiver is beyond a financially motivated career path. Of course, the money is also part of it but know that when you become a caregiver you become a humanist. We wish you success as you step further to providing care to nature’s most amazing creatures (fellow humans).