The iSavta Team | 29.01.2020

When you think about the way caregiving was done during the early 2000 compared to what we have today, there were several changes in terms of equipment, technology, emergency response and emotional support 

 

One example is how the elderly are more open to ideas of having a Caregiver. Several years ago, the idea of live in Caregiving was still a taboo to most families with an elderly or a member with disability. Most families prefer to confine their family member to a facility or an institution or they take care of them themselves.

 

Also, elderly patients were not as open to being confined in a wheelchair before as they are today. There are electronic wheelchairs right now that they can use by themselves without someone manually pushing it. It somehow gives them the feeling that they are still self-reliant despite of their condition. 

 

Lastly, to convince an elderly to put on adult diapers is one of the most challenging tasks for a caregiver. Bladder incontinence is too common in the elderly caregiving industry, and most caregivers are  having problems with it. Right now, adult pant-type diapers are very common. It’s as comfortable as wearing underwear and it helped with the elderly’s mental perception about wearing a diaper.

 

Lifting and transferring a patient from bed to wheelchair was a pain back then. It wasn’t just a risk for your back and spine but also a risk for your patient. It was one of the reasons why some Caregivers were not accepting jobs for bed-ridden patients no matter how big the offered salary was, especially for Asian Caregivers whose patients are twice their weight. Right now, we have lifters and adjustable beds which helps in moving patients in different positions. We can make them mobile despite us being alone at home with them. 

 

There are still some things that most Caregivers can only wish for to help them with their daily struggle with their patients. But we cannot ignore the fact that we had a lot of improvements for the past 2 decades in terms of medicine and equipment. 

 

For the next 10 years, we wouldn’t be surprised if there will be artificial aids or robots which will be programmed to aid the caregivers or eventually replace them. Robots who can mimic and actually do what Caregivers do with precision and very minimal mistakes.

 

But, we still believe in compassion and empathy that only human beings can give to their patients or loved ones who are sick and old. No advancement in technology, no equipment and no robot could ever replace that.

 

As a new era unfolds, may we never forget why we chose this profession and may we never cease to love our job as Caregivers and continue to be professional, empathic and loving to those who truly need our service.