Does age matter for a live-in carer?
When considering live-in carer work as a career option, you may wonder if there is an upper age limit to the job. This is an important thing to think about because the job is not a sedentary one, and does involve a lot of movement, sometimes working with moving equipment and overweight clients.
Legally, you must be 18 years of age to work as a live-in carer. The upper limit of the age bracket largely depends on the state of health that you are in.
It stands to reason that in most jobs, being fit and healthy are more beneficial than not being in a good condition.
Simply because live-in care work involves a second person (your client) for 24 hours a day, there are some considerations which you may want to bear in mind.
Health
You will be expected to work in close contact with your client, so being free from colds and coughs is important. Bear in mind that your client may have their own compromised immune system so does not need to be in a situation where you are constantly passing on your own cold to them.
Fitness
While there may not be any desperate need for you to find a fitness centre, it does help if you are relatively fit. In every placement there will be a certain amount of running to and from your client, upstairs and downstairs, and keeping appointments with doctors and hospitals. While there is no actual lifting, working with hoists take a certain amount of strength. All this means that it would be better for you if you are even moderately fit and able to keep moving through the day.
Weight and size
Often if may be necessary to help your client in and out of a small toilet. Being vastly overweight will make this manoeuvre a nightmare for both you and your client. This is not a suggestion for anyone to lose weight, but it is something that may come into play because rooms in most houses tend to be small.
Mental attitude
Everyone knows that one person who does not look their age. Mostly we attribute this to their mental state, which if you analyse it, is always positive and bright. People who are of negative disposition themselves tend to be unhealthy and susceptible to illness more than people with positive outlooks.
So, does age matter for live-in care work?
Yes, it does, to a degree. A person who is fit and healthy, with a good mental attitude at the age of 70 will find live-in care work easier than a 30- something person who is unhealthy, unfit, and of a negative disposition.
The age limit that you place on your live-in care career should be a personal one, and not be dictated by someone else and their own ideas. The limit will differ with every carer and in every placement. Some placements will leave you feeling exhausted and desperately in need of a rest – even if you are young, while others will seem relatively easy because you are healthy and fit yourself.
The bottom line here is that if you keep yourself healthy and fit, you will be able to do a good job, no matter what age you are.
Tags:
© 2025 EJOBBOARD LTD. All Rights Reserved.