Are there special attributes needed for care work?

You may have wondered if it takes a certain type of person to become a live-in carer, in fact that’s a good question to ask. It’s a good question to ask if you plan to start a career in this field, and a good idea to know if it will suit you and your personal temperament.

So, what does make a good live-in carer?

There are several attributes which are inherent to all carers, and it is very true that not every person has what it takes to become a live-in carer. Here I’ve looked at a few of these attributes.

Kindness

Carers of all types have a deep inbuilt kindness. It’s easily spotted. It’s that person who stops and helps another in the supermarket to reach something or picks up a glove that someone has dropped. It is a kindness that gives without expecting in return and does so with a smile.

Responsibility

The live-in carer is the sort of person who can work alone, unsupervised and under pressure. That person will not be afraid of facing a challenge head-on. They will be able to organise schedules such as plane and train bookings and to get themselves from A to B and back again without too much trouble. This person will take in their stride the responsibility of seeing that things are done at precise times, such as giving medication to another person daily and on time.

Organised

A large part of live-in care is to be organised. While there are some scatter-brained carers, on the whole carers are organised. They can organise themselves as well as their surroundings. If appointments are to be kept, then other things might need to be shuffled around, but this they can do without any trouble.

Adaptable

Live-in care never works according to the plan! There will always be something that changes at the last minute. The family show up for lunch without letting you know, the GP has a cancellation and wants you there earlier, your client forgets to tell you about the bridge game she planned today at home and wants you to cater – the list goes on! It is very important that you can change and adapt to the ever-changing events of the day!

Humility

The live-in carer is always aware that but for the grace of God, it could be her in that situation. Humility and thankfulness for your own health, your own family and friends will ensure that you appreciate all that is happening around you and do your best to make life as pleasant as possible for just one person at a time – your client.

A sense of humour

If you can laugh at yourself, or to laugh at life in general, you are halfway there! Live-in care presents things to you in a completely different way and if you can see the funny side of things it will make life a whole lot easier for both you and your client.

To sum up

These are just a few of the attributes which go towards the making of a good live-in carer. Others come from experience and cannot be learned, so if you feel that you have some or all of these, then you will make a good live-in carer.

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