All You Need to Know About Caregiving Responsibilities

Residents aged 65 and above make up 16% of Singapore’s population.

This means around 896,000 individuals require assistance with daily tasks.

If your loved one belongs to the same category, consider hiring a caregiver. A caregiver takes on multiple roles, but their primary objective remains the same: ensuring senior citizens live a hassle-free and independent life.

But what exactly do those roles entail?
The question is guaranteed to confuse those who’ve never hired a caregiver.

Well, that’s where Top Faith comes in.
Apart from offering exceptional services, we possess vast knowledge related to the industry.

And we’re utilizing it to write this blog.
So, if you’ve always wondered what duties a caregiver performs, read on to find out.

• 1. Provides Personal Care

After a certain age, your loved one will no longer be able to perform even the basic tasks, such as bathing, dressing, or preparing meals. These activities are an integral part of an individual’s existence, without which they can’t live a quality life.

For that reason, people hire a caregiver.

They assist senior citizens with pretty much all day-to-day activities, including, without limitation:

• Grocery shopping
• Exercising
• Light housekeeping
• Laundry
• Grooming
• Administering medicine

• 2. Helps with Transportation

Another reason people hire a caregiver is to allow their loved ones to travel without worrying about their safety.

As people grow, their eyesight weakens, and their muscles become stiff. Because of this, it’s unwise to let senior citizens drive. But at the same time, you can’t force them to stay home all day.

Hiring a caregiver is an excellent solution to the problem.

They would accompany your loved one wherever they go and whenever they want.

• 3. Administers Medications

Forgetfulness is a normal part of aging.

Although the condition is not life-threatening on its own, it can cause problems for those with chronic diseases.

For instance, senior citizens with terminal illnesses are required to take multiple medications in a day. Forgetting to do so can severely affect their health.

Keeping this in mind, a caregiver doesn’t only remind older adults to take medicine but helps administer it as well.

• 4. Becomes a Companion

According to a report by Duke-NUS Medical School, 34% of senior citizens perceive themselves to be lonely. And if you think from their perspective, it’s understandable why they feel that way.

When children become busy in their lives, they can hardly make time for their parents. Combine that with having nothing to do all day, and feeling isolated is only natural for older adults.

Fortunately, a caregiver can provide the companionship your loved one yearns for. In addition to assisting with basic tasks, a caregiver becomes their friend, which keeps all the negative feelings at bay.

• 5. Develops a Care Plan

Since every senior citizen’s health condition varies, a caregiver must develop a highly personalized care plan. While doing so, they might even have to connect with your loved one’s local doctor.

Apart from developing a care plan, a caregiver monitors it regularly and changes it if necessary. And it’s your responsibility to ask them about the updates.
This way, you can ensure your beloved receives the best care.

• 6. Prepares Meals

Older adults have to follow strict dietary guidelines; they can’t eat the food made for everyone else in the family.

You could make two meals thrice a day, but you already have enough on your plate as it is.

Well, that’s where a caregiver can ease your burdens.

Whether your loved one wants to cook their meals or have the caregiver prepare for them, both can be arranged.

• 7. Performs Exercises

Exercise should be an integral part of every person’s life, irrespective of age. But it’s especially recommended for older adults because maintaining an active lifestyle can:

• Improve mental health
• Prevent bone loss
• Increase breathing and heart rate
• Enhance mobility and flexibility
• Help prevent chronic diseases

You’d be glad to know that some caregivers have received special training to provide senior-friendly exercise. And even if they don’t, they’ll accompany your loved one for a stroll in a park, which would prove immensely helpful in improving their overall well-being.

Now that you know what a caregiver can do, let’s look at what they can’t:

• Heavy-Duty Housekeeping

Just because you’ve hired a caregiver for your loved one doesn’t mean you should treat them like a maid. While they may help the senior citizen with light housekeeping, such as doing laundry or changing sheets, don’t expect them to scrub the floors. Remember: the caregiver only provides services to those hired, not others.

• Highly Skilled Medical Care

Another thing you can’t ask the caregiver to do is to provide highly skilled medical care services. Doing so would put them in an awkward position and potentially break the law. Not to forget, it could pose a threat to your loved one’s health. Therefore, keep the caregiver only for administering medicine.

• Prescribing Medications

Continuing on the previous point, don’t expect the caregiver to prescribe medications. That can only be done by experienced healthcare professionals aware of your loved one’s health condition. Steer clear of any agency that claims to have caregivers who can prescribe medicine. You should only consult experts for this matter, and those who provide caregiving services are not them.

Over to You

Hopefully, you now understand what being a caregiver is all about; it’s a challenging yet highly rewarding job. And only a few perform it with utmost dedication and commitment – just like our caregivers.

So, instead of wasting your time and energy running after other agencies, connect with Top Faith today to hire a qualified caregiver for your loved one.