Being a caregiver certainly comes with a unique set of challenges – caring for aging seniors can be taxing emotionally and physically. Still, caregiving is also one of the most rewarding careers a person can have. Unlike a typical office job, caregivers make a direct impact on the lives of others, and have the privilege of watching their hard work pay off in the most meaningful of ways. For all of its challenges, there are a lot of rewards that coincide with caring for a senior in need.
We’ve come up with a list of five aspects of caregiving that we feel are especially rewarding.
5. Caregiving Means Built-In Exercise
Don’t have time to go to the gym on a regular basis? As a caregiver, you won’t need to worry. Unlike in many other careers, caregivers are not sitting in a desk chair all day every day. On the contrary, caregivers spend most of the day being physically and mentally active. Between running errands, going on walks with the person(s) in their care, and assisting with basic needs such as hygiene care or even housework – caregivers are on their feet throughout the work day. This means that their bodies remain healthy and strong – and that those pesky trips to the gym just aren’t as necessary as they used to be.
4. A Caregiver Gets to Be Creative
Caregiving is a surprisingly creative career. It’s up to the caregiver to provide a senior with a fulfilling day that keeps them physically and mentally engaged (depending on their abilities). For most caregivers, this means getting creative with planned activities, outings, and mental exercises. From stimulating arts and crafts activities to memory exercises and doctor-approved outings, there are so many ways to engage the seniors in your care – and you get to work with them directly to decide on the best possible activities that suit their interests and abilities. This adds an element of fun and flexibility to your daily work.
3. No Day is the Same
Just as the activities and games you plan for the senior in your care will vary, so will your day-to-day tasks.A typical office job might look the same every hour of every day, but a job in caregiving is certainly to keep you on your toes! While establishing a routine is important for any senior, everyday will offer an opportunity for something new. Whether this means preparing a variety of new meals, taking a walk in a new area of town, or coming up with a new hands-on activity to stimulate your client mentally or physically, you’ll rarely have the same day twice. This keeps caregiving interesting and exciting every single week.
2. A Caregiver Forms Meaningful Bonds With Their Clients
One of the greatest aspects of being a caregiver is the bond you’ll likely form with the person in your care. As a caregiver, it’s up to you to provide deep conversation and a strong connection with the senior you spend so much time with every week. This friendship is especially meaningful because the caregiver can sometimes be the only person the senior interacts with regularly. When friendships are formed between a caregiver and a senior, they are friendships built on strength, gratitude, and compassion. Because you have cared for this person on an intimate level, your friendship is that much stronger.
1. Caregivers Make a Real Impact
Making a real impact is perhaps the most rewarding part of being a caregiver. Every day when you show up for your client, you are helping them to feel dignified, safe, and even loved. You are the difference between loneliness or isolation and deep friendship. You are the difference between rapidly declining health and constant care and attention. Your duties as a caregiver not only make an enormous difference in the life of the senior, but with their loved ones as well. The senior’s family can relax knowing that their loved one is in excellent hands. Aging is daunting for seniors and their loved ones alike – but as a caregiver, you make this transition as smooth and positive as possible. You are making a real difference in the lives of people who need you.
Caregiving isn’t always easy – but the many positive aspects of this career path are unlike any other. As a caregiver, you have the chance to make a real difference in the life of another – and there is little else as rewarding as that.