5 Things to Know Before You Work Abroad as a Caregiver
The iSavta Team | 13.11.2019
Millions of older people across the globe need to be attended to in doing their daily activities. Caring for someone is a great responsibility and is a challenging task. It takes a lot of dedication, patience, and compassion to fulfill a caregiver’s duty. So before you embark into a career in caregiving abroad, it helps to know what to expect in the job that lies ahead.
1. Patient Care
As a caregiver abroad, you will be helping your patient with their daily activities such as bathing, dressing them up, or moving them around. You will also have to ensure that your patient takes their medicines according to schedule and making sure that they are able to go to their medical appointments. As a careworker, it is also your duty to communicate with their healthcare team and their family when the need arises.
2. Home Care
Living with a patient abroad clearly indicates that you will have to make your patient’s home a comfortable place to live in. You will have to treat the house as your own and clean it up to ensure it is a hygienic place to live. Moreover, you will also have to prepare meals for your patient and guarantee that they are eating a healthy meal. Before rearranging anything in the house, consult the patient’s family first as some do not want any modification in their homes done.
3. Emotional Needs
You will be the constant companion of your patient. At first, the older adult may not be comfortable to have you around. But, just be patient as the time will come that you and your patient will engage in small talks and that will be the start of your long standing story telling with each other. Be prepared to hear tales that will touch your emotions and expect to touch the heart of your patient in return with your own stories.
4. Caregiver Burnout
The multiple tasks that a careworker must accomplish are demanding and could cause extreme tiredness. Disagreements between you, the patient, and the family members may also occur which adds up to the burnout a caregiver may experience. To prevent this problem from becoming severe, always be respectful, sincere, and gentle to your patient and involve him in every decision that needs to be made.
5. Know the Law
Whichever country you plan to work as a caregiver, it is crucial to know your rights. Knowing your rights as a caregiver will protect you from getting abused. In the same way, knowing the law would also lessen the probability of you getting punished for being ignorant of the dos and don’ts of a worker in a foreign country.
Being a caregiver to an elderly is an opportunity to uplift his life by providing the utmost care possible. It is a beautiful and selfless gesture that takes a lot of your energy and time. Knowing what to expect as a caregiver would help you become successful in this field.
Read more about Caregiving 101
Caregiving 101