צוות iSavta | 08.01.2020

Identifying and figuring out why caregivers quit their work is crucial in improving the recruitment of qualified workers. It is also essential in figuring out ways to retain caregivers from leaving their jobs. Let us take a look at ten of the primary reasons why caregivers quit.

 

 

1. Schedule

Family caregivers need to be with their loved ones most of the time. They do not have the flexibility to plan ahead for leisurely activities unless they have someone to fill-in for their caregiving duties. On the other hand, paid home caregivers usually just have a day off the week and they do not enjoy the perks of having just the normal 8-hour shift.

2. Lack of Training

Caring for someone, especially the old, is not an easy job. Caregivers that are not equipped with the necessary caregiving skills are likely to end up quitting their job.

3. Lack of Recognition

Just like in any job, recognition is vital to a person’s self-esteem. Failure to recognize a caregiver’s efforts in providing care and assistance to a patient may make them feel unvalued and as a result, the caregiver gives up.

4. Failed Expectations

Clear expectations to both the caregiver and the client must be finalized prior to the start of work. This is done to avoid misunderstandings and problems related to client compatibility.

5. Career Change

Many caregivers feel stagnant with the work that they do. They feel that they have been doing the same thing for too long and would like to do something different. This decision to change career is another reason why people quit caregiving.

6. No Family Time

Caregivers have many tasks where they need to spend much of their time to their patient. Most caregivers are away from their family and because of this, their connection with their families are weakened. Hence, they prefer to quit caregiving and find another way to make ends meet without sacrificing their time for their families.

7. Too much work

A great number of caregivers are dissatisfied with their work/life balance. Because of the stress they get from too much caregiving work, they leave and find other jobs that do not demand much of their time.

8. Poor Communication

Communication is a two-way process. In the caregiving perspective, this often refers to the communication between the home care agency and the caregiver. If there is no structured communication process in place, it is going to be difficult for a caregiver to reach out to the agency especially when problems arise.

9. Illness or Accidents

The primary task of a caregiver is to take care of someone who is usually suffering from sickness as an outcome of old age. A caregiver who is prone to suffering from illness or has some dysfunctional parts of the body as a result of caregiving is not anymore capable of providing support for their patient.

10. Bad bosses/Lack of Trust

Bosses (usually children) of the patient, who do not treat their caregivers well by not providing them the correct pay and benefits, are one of the reasons that caregivers quit.  Bosses who do not trust their caregivers even if the caregiver is doing great at his or her job will make the caregiver leave.

Not everyone is going to be happy at their caregiving jobs at first. By knowing the reasons why caregivers quit, the bosses or the home care agencies can find ways on how to make caregivers stay and learn how to love their jobs.