10 Qualities Required For An Elder Care Worker

Considered to be one of the most demanding and challenging jobs especially in developing and developed countries where there is a shortage of experienced and qualified personnel to care for elders, this profession needs one to possess certain qualities to be successful and earn a good repute.

Some important qualities that is necessary for a successful elder care worker:

1) Responsibility: The caregiver of the elder needs to be responsible as they could put the elder’s health at a risk if they are not responsible in their duties. Responsibility is also important to make the aged person feel secure of being looked after well.

2) Supportive: An aged care professional needs to be supportive as most old people love to have enough support from people they are close to; it is this ingredient that makes them successful in their job. 

3) Patient: An elder care professional needs to be patient with elders in their care; they may not be brisk as youngsters, so you need to be patient enough to take care of them and manage things in a better way.

4) Caring: Elders need the same care as children, with care and compassion going a long way to make them happy. The mark of a successful elder care worker is that the aged should be happy and comfortable by their attitude. 

5) Respectful: An elder care worker should be respectful and follow a policy of "give respect and take respect." Respect would add to their positive energy and sense of dignity, with it also improving the caregiver’s professional reputation.  

6) Sensitive: An elder caregiver should be sensitive to the special needs of the elder; they should lend a sympathetic ear to the elders sorrow and personal problems and not hurt their feelings in any way. 

7) Good personal skills: An elder care professional needs to have good personal skills to interact with elders in a comfortable way. Good personal skills make their job easier and interesting and result in an overall positive career experience.

8) Understanding: This is one of the positive qualities of an aged care professional; they need to understand what is going on in the mind of the aged and the ways they react to various situations. This understanding would help the caregiver and the patient to share a very comfortable relationship.

9) Flexibility: The elder’s caregiver needs to be flexible and accommodating to deal easily with various types of elders. The caregiver needs to develop this skill that would make him successful in aged care in the long run.

10) Encouraging: The aged caregiver needs to be encouraging to the elder in his/her care; this would not only boost the elder’s morale but would also help improve his physical and mental health. Encouragement helps the elder to perform beyond his physical abilities with great confidence. 

Last but most important it would help to master many of these qualities by  taking an aged care certificate course or PCA course from a reputed institution. Developed countries also offer certificate courses like Certificate III in Aged Care (PCA Course), Certificate IV in Aged Care, and Certificate III in Home and Community Care that make you a qualified aged care professional with a bright future.

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