Category: General

If you’re looking for alternatives to nursing homes and assisted living facilities, you’ve likely come across 24-hour care and live-in home care for the elderly in their own home.

Caregiving is a rewarding profession that offers a unique opportunity to make a tangible difference in people’s lives.

It’s okay to ask for help with senior parents.

If you’re a family caregiver, there’s a lot required of you. You tirelessly assist with daily tasks, errands, and personal care to ensure your loved one maintains a high quality of life as they age.

Exercise is medicine for older adults. Evidence shows a positive relationship between increased levels of physical activity and improved health in seniors. But it’s not always safe for aging adults to exercise without supervision.

If you’re looking for a fulfilling job, consider applying for caregiver positions. Jobs taking care of seniors in their homes are not only rewarding but secure. People across the world are living longer. Today, most people can expect to live beyond their sixties. In addition, the 85 and older population – those who often need the most help with personal care – will nearly quadruple between 2000 and 2040.

Nearly 90% of the aging population wants to age in place, avoiding assisted living or nursing homes. This means that at-home senior caregiver jobs are already in high demand. The Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment for caregiver jobs will grow by about 25% by 2031. 

If you’re interested in learning more about full- or part-time senior care jobs, responsibilities, and openings, keep reading.

Senior Care Provider Job Responsibilities

As people age, tasks that used to be second nature become difficult to complete. To maintain independence, elderly adults require outside help, which often falls onto the shoulders of family members. However, adult children becoming their parents’ caregivers isn’t always possible—or preferable. That said, more than 1 in 5 Americans act as a caregiver to a loved one.

This is where professionally trained part-time senior care providers can help. These individuals come to seniors’ homes to assist them with activities of daily living (ADLs). ADLs include bathing, grooming, dressing, and other forms of personal care. Due to their training, professional caregivers can provide higher levels of care than family caregivers. 

The duties of in-home caregivers vary from client to client based on their health and abilities, but common senior care provider job responsibilities include:

• Companionship
• Assistance with ADLs
• Meal planning and preparation
• Light homemaking and laundry
• Medication reminders
• Transportation (errands and appointments)
• Life management tasks (bill pay)

Caregivers enable seniors to continue living safely in a comfortable, familiar setting. Whether an aging loved one lives with you or alone, part-time in-home caregivers can relieve the burden of care by traveling to their place of residence for regular assistance.

How to Become a Caregiver in Virginia (Agency-employed)

If you’re hired without credentials for a full- or part-time senior care job by a licensed home care agency in Virginia, they are required to train you using the state-sponsored Personal Care Aide Training Curriculum. Caregiver training must be facilitated by a registered nurse (RN) with at least two years of experience. 

Before providing services to clients, agency-employed personal care aides (PCAs) must:

• Be 18 years old or older
• Complete 40 hours of training
• Pass a background check
• Pass a standardized written test
• Pass a skills demonstration

To work at a Medicare-certified agency, individuals must meet national standards for training and competency evaluation. These training programs are at least 75 hours in total, including a minimum of 16 hours of practical experience. Home attendants employed by Medicaid-reimbursed agencies must complete 12 hours of continuing education annually. 

Caregiver Job Openings: Apply for Jobs Taking Care of Seniors in Their Homes in Virginia and South Carolina

If you’re looking for “caregiver jobs near me” and you live in Charlottesville, Richmond, Williamsburg, VA, or Charleston, SC, contact Commonwise Home Care. At Commonwise, we’ve been serving families and their elderly loved ones for decades. 

No experience? No problem!

Our Care Team consists of those willing to be trained. Many of our team members were previously teachers, babysitters, baristas, customer service personnel, and retirees, just to name a few. Their common thread is the desire to care for others compassionately. Here are a few Charlottesville, VA senior care jobs (part-time and full-time) that are currently available, but won’t be open for long:

• Caregiver
• PCA Caregiver
• Personal Care Assistant Caregiver

Benefits of Working at Commonwise Home Care

The following benefits are for full-time, part-time, and PRN employees!

• Proprietary, in-house training that emphasizes soft skills
• Get paid up to $25/hour on a weekly basis
• Increase your pay through performance
• Refer a friend and receive a bonus
• Mileage reimbursement
• Paid time off (PTO)
• Paid time & a half for holidays 
• Health insurance + vision and dental

Commonwise was founded to challenge (and change) the home care industry by putting YOU first. Do you want to join a growing team of dedicated and compassionate caregivers? Find caregiver jobs in one of our four locations:

• Charlottesville elder care jobs
• Richmond elder care jobs
• Williamsburg elder care jobs
• Charleston elder care jobs

Apply for fulfilling jobs taking care of seniors in their homes today!

Commonwise Home Care is an equal opportunity employer. In accordance with applicable law, we prohibit discrimination against any applicant or employee based on any legally-recognized basis, including, but not limited to: veteran status, uniformed servicemember status, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy (including childbirth, lactation or related medical conditions), age (40 and over), national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, genetic information (including testing and characteristics) or any other consideration protected by federal, state or local law. Our commitment to equal opportunity employment applies to all persons involved in our operations and prohibits unlawful discrimination by any employee, including supervisors and co-workers.

With the aging population living longer, home health and personal care aide jobs are expected to increase by 25% in the next 10 years. If you want to explore caregiving careers, now is the time. But if you’re an adult child seeking an in-home caregiver for your aging parent, you’re likely searching everywhere for the right fit. 

It’s an emotional decision to begin seeking in-home caregivers. And you don’t want just anyone in your or your parent’s home. You need to find someone you can trust. But how? Where do you start? Who do you trust?

In this blog, we define what a caregiver is and explain where to find caregivers for seniors.

What Is a Caregiver?

A caregiver or home health aide tends to the needs of the elderly, disabled, injured, and those with chronic illnesses who cannot fully care for themselves. Caregivers enable clients to be more independent by supporting them with activities of daily living (ADLs):

• Bathing
• Dressing
• Toileting
• Feeding
• Transferring

Caregivers improve their client’s quality of life and may also help with:

• Medication reminders
• Light housekeeping
• Transportation
• Meal prep
• Bill pay

Some caregivers are trained professionals, while family members and friends are known as informal caregivers. Professional caregivers relieve the burden of care from family caregivers so adult children can return to being family members. 

If you are a family caregiver looking for a replacement or notice that your elderly parent needs daily assistance that you can’t provide, it’s time to search for a caregiver. At this point, you may be asking, “Where can I find a caregiver?” Keep reading.

In this next section, we explain how to find a good caregiver for the elderly.

Where to Find Caregivers for Seniors

1. Referrals

One of the easiest ways to begin finding a caregiver for elderly parents is by asking your community for referrals. Given the aging population’s size, someone in your social circle likely has an elderly family member receiving home care. Ask about their experience working with the home care provider to learn more.

Referrals are a safe option because you get a trustworthy recommendation from a friend. The caregiver didn’t pay your friend to say nice things about them. Your friend will hopefully give you their honest opinion, and if the caregiver has the bandwidth, they may be able to help you, too.

2. Registries

Another place where to find caregivers for seniors is on a registry. Registries are essentially staffing services that act as the middleman between families and caregivers. These online registries help families find caregivers and dual function as caregiver job websites where caregivers can find work. 

Registries have an extensive list of independent caregivers that you can search through using various criteria. For example, you can search for a caregiver who lives in your city and has experience working with elderly dementia patients. However, once hired, you assume the full responsibility of employing a healthcare provider.

3. Agencies

Home care agencies are one of the most common, fastest ways to find caregivers in your area. Agencies have caregivers readily available to help your aging loved one, so you can begin care immediately. Although hiring from an agency may be more expensive, they relieve you of all the HR work and liability that comes with hiring an independent caregiver. 

Plus, you have built-in backup care. If your parent’s caregiver can’t make their shift, the agency will send a comparable replacement, preventing you from having to step in inconveniently. As your parent’s needs change, the agency will also have higher levels of care that it can provide, such as 24/7 in-home care.

Looking for caregivers can take a considerable amount of time, especially when you’re the one doing all the searching, interviewing, and vetting. When you rely on a home care agency, you have more peace of mind because they handle the logistics.

Looking for Home Care? Contact Commonwise Home Care

Stop searching Google to find caregivers in your area or posting ads on caregiver job websites. If you want to know how to find caretakers, look no further than Commonwise Home Care (Commonwise). 

“The care was superb and worth the slightly higher hourly cost, and the staff had a much higher emotional intelligence than other groups. I would not look any further than Commonwise.”

—Valeria Niehaus

Nearly 9 in 10 older adults want to remain in their current homes as they age. If you live in Charlottesville, Williamsburg, Richmond, VA, or Charleston, NC, our care team can safely help your senior loved one age in place. 

At Commonwise, we take a sympathetic approach to in-home care, aiming to serve our clients with wisdom and compassion. We are devoted to serving seniors and their families by providing reliable and intuitive elder care at home. Speak to a Care Advisor today to learn more about how in-home care could be a perfect fit for you and your aging loved one. 

According to Caregiving in the U.S. 2020, 61% of family caregivers also work. If you’re an adult child caring for senior parents, we commend you. It’s a tall task that many take on, but few plan on it. Juggling the responsibilities of helping elderly parents alongside your work and personal life can be overwhelming.

If you’re saying, “I need help with my elderly mother,” this blog is for you. It’s okay to ask for help caring for elderly parents. In fact, there is a list of reasons why it may be more challenging for you to care for them than a professional caregiver:

• You have competing responsibilities
• You have bad familial relationships
• Your own health is declining
• You feel ill-equipped
• You live far away

These are just a handful of reasons that may prevent you from being a good fit as a family caregiver. But caregiving isn’t for everyone, and adult children certainly weren’t meant to parent their parents. Do what you can to remain a son or daughter, not your parent’s caregiver.

In this article, we give advice on caring for elderly parents and what to do when your elderly parent needs care that you can’t provide.

How to Take Care of an Elderly Parent

According to the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, 17% of adults end up caring for aging parents. If that’s you, here are a few tips on how to take care of an elderly parent.

1. Set Clear Expectations

Before caring for aging parents, it’s important to set healthy boundaries and expectations about how the relationship will work. 

As their caregiver, let your parent know what you are and aren’t comfortable helping them with. For example, maybe you’re willing to help around the house, drive them to appointments, and cook meals. However, as soon as they need help bathing or using the bathroom, you agree that it’s time to coordinate in-home care.

You shouldn’t be the only one talking during this conversation, though. Your parent also will have things they are and aren’t comfortable with you doing for them. Make sure that you hear and respect their wishes as much as make sense. During this conversation, consider discussing who they want their power of attorney to be and have them fill out an advance directive.

These conversations are hard but necessary, and it’s best to have them sooner rather than later.

2. Make Home Safety a Priority

As your parents get older, their balance, depth perception, and vision all decline, making them more susceptible to injury. As you care for them, the first step is making sure their living space is safe. To prevent falls, it’s best to have everything they need on one level, especially their bedroom. 

• Clean up clutter.
• Install grab bars in the bathroom.
• Remove rugs and cords from walkways.
• Plug-in night lights around the house.
• Put necessities within reach, reducing the need for stepstools or bending down low.

These are just some of the ways you can clear your parents’ home of potential hazards.

3. Assist With ADLs and IADLs

Activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) are key life tasks that people need to manage if they want to live independently. If you’re a family caregiver, these are the tasks you’re likely helping elderly parents with.

Activities of Daily Living

ADLs are basic self-care tasks that we learn from a young age. Depending on the task, your parents may be fully dependent on you (e.g., bathing) or able to do it themselves (e.g., eating). 

• Walking
• Feeding
• Dressing
• Grooming
• Toileting
• Bathing

Instrumental Activities of Daily Living

IADLs are often the first things older adults need help with before requiring support with ADLs. These tasks are necessary for living independently and require more cognitive functioning than ADLs.

• Bill pay
• Driving
• Meal prep
• Housekeeping
• Managing medications
• Grocery shopping
• Doctor’s appointments

Keep in mind that these tasks evolve. One day your parent may only need you to stand by just in case they need help, while the next week, you may need to do it for them. Monitor their ability to perform different daily tasks, so you know how to best assist them.

4. Ask for Help

The best advice on caring for elderly parents that we can give is to ask for help. Maybe that looks like using a temporary respite care service, asking your parents’ neighbor to check in on them, or sharing the load with other family members. However, your aging parents will eventually reach a point where they need a higher level of care. 

For example, many older adults that get diagnosed with a chronic condition require medication management, monitoring, and other forms of ongoing care that exceed your abilities or comfort level. Besides, you don’t want to burn yourself out trying to be a caregiver and a parent, employee, sibling, child, aunt/uncle, etc. Professionally trained caregivers exist so that you don’t have to be one.

If you’re wondering what to do when your elderly parent needs care, keep reading.

What to Do When Your Elderly Parent Needs Care

“My elderly parent needs help, what should I do?” Call Commonwise Home Care.

As a premium in-home care company, we’re passionate about serving the elderly community. Whether you’re local or not, we provide elderly care for parents like yours living in Charlottesville, Richmond, Williamsburg, VA, and Charleston, SC.

Our goal is two-part: (1) preserve the health and independence of older adults so they can age in place safely, (2) and come alongside adult children who need help coordinating care for their aging parents. 

If you’re saying, “I need help with my elderly mother,” but don’t know where to start, give our Care Team a call. Our expert care managers will work with you to assess your aging loved ones’ needs and then recommend the best type of senior care for them, giving you respite and peace of mind.

When your parent or spouse needs more assistance than you can give, many families face a difficult choice: assisted living vs. in-home care. Choosing between the two is a complex decision with many variables, but you should make sure to include your elderly loved one in the conversation.

In this blog, we compare in-home care vs. assisted living facilities, breaking down each so you can make an informed decision for your family. Let’s begin by defining our terms.

What Are Assisted Living Facilities?

An assisted living facility is an establishment for people who cannot or choose not to live independently. Most residents are mobile adults over the age of 65 that live in small rooms with a bathroom and maybe a small kitchenette (no stoves) and share common areas.

Unlike nursing homes, assisted living is designed for those who need very little elder care on a daily basis but aren’t totally independent.

Some services offered at assisted living facilities may include: 

• Three meals a day
• Assistance with personal care
• Housekeeping
• Laundry
• 24-hour security
• On-site staff
• Transportation services
• Health and wellness programs
• Social and recreational activities

Assisted living communities enable residents to retain their independence without compromising their safety. They uphold a resident’s right to privacy, autonomy, and dignity while promoting community and family involvement.

What Is In-home Care?

In-home care is when a caregiver provides personalized, one on one care in your own home – wherever you call home. Home care agencies offer a range of services, from companionship to elder care management. Caregivers help seniors with activities of daily living (ADLs), such as: 

• Bathing
• Dressing
• Walking
• Eating
• Errands
• Household chores

It’s no secret that most seniors prefer to age in place, but what do their adult children think?

A national survey concluded that nearly 85% of baby boomers and Generation Xers prefer that their parents and loved ones age at of at a professional senior care facility. In-home care improves seniors’ quality of life in comfortable surroundings while offering peace of mind and respite to their families.

In-home Care vs. Assisted Living Facilities

Before deciding whether in-home care or assisted living is right for your elderly loved one, you must evaluate a few things.

1. Determine How Much Help Your Loved One Needs

Be honest with yourself and your loved one: How much help do they require? 

Start by making a list of everything your loved one needs help with daily, weekly, and monthly. For example, they may need daily help taking a shower to prevent falls or weekly help picking up groceries. In addition, every month, they may require assistance with bill pay. This list will give you a clear picture of what type of care is necessary.

Be realistic: How much can you and your family or friends help? Think about the long-term, not just what’s possible to keep up for the next few weeks or months. Your loved one may need ongoing care for years, so keep in mind the big picture here.

After comparing the list of their needs and what you can help them with, you’ll know how much additional support is needed. Don’t forget to include them in this conversation. Your loved one may adamantly want in-home care, and that desire shouldn’t go unacknowledged.

2. Consider the Pros and Cons

Let’s look at assisted living vs. in-home care, evaluating the pros and cons of each.

In-home Care Pros

• Seniors get personalized, 1:1 care
• Seniors get to remain in the comfort of their (or a relative’s) home
• Flexible care arrangements (i.e., different types of care can be combined to lower costs)
• Depending on the level of care required, in-home care can be cheaper

In-home Care Cons

• If 24/7 care is required, it’s expensive
• Families need to coordinate care
• Seniors’ homes may require modifications for safety
• Seniors may feel socially isolated

Assisted Living Pros

• 24/7 care is easily accessible and more affordable
• Families don’t have to coordinate care
• Residents have ample social opportunities

Assisted Living Cons

• Care won’t be as personalized
• Quality of care varies depending on the staff
• Seniors may not enjoy living in an assisted living environment

Now that you know more about in-home care vs. assisted living facilities as it relates to pros and cons, it’s time to consider the cost of assisted living vs. in-home care.

3. Evaluate the Cost of Assisted Living vs. In-home Care

According to the Genworth Financial Cost of Care Survey (2021), in-home care costs an average of $4,957 per month (44 hours per week). However, the monthly median cost for assisted living nationally totals $4,500, making it slightly cheaper than in-home care.

Note that this is a national average; costs will undoubtedly vary state-by-state. Additionally, providers and facilities in the same area may charge different prices, so compare the costs of a few to find the best value.

To get the most accurate cost for in-home care, request to speak with a care manager from a trusted home care agency who can help you navigate the nuances of elder care.

In-Home Care, At Your Service

Whether you want your elderly loved one to age at home or relocate to an assisted living facility, it’s vital that they receive the best care possible. At Commonwise Home Care, our compassionate caregivers help maintain the highest quality of life for older adults wherever they call home.

We offer multiple care solutions, from 24-hour in-home care to memory care for those with dementia living in nursing homes. We also provide care management services to guide families and support their aging loved ones by coordinating healthcare, advocating during acute stays, and even helping with long-term care insurance.

If you have additional questions about in-home care or are ready to get help for aging parents, we’d be honored to serve your family in whatever ways we can. Speak with a Care Advisor today to learn more about how Commonwise can partner with your family.

Aging affects everyone. As an adult child, you may begin to see your parents’ health declining as they grow older. Although you may see the signs of their age, your parents may not. Even so, there will come a time when they can no longer live independently and care for themselves.

A national survey found that nearly 90% of adults over 50 want to age in place. Though your parents may be unfit to live alone, they are likely part of the majority who don’t want to move from their homes. Most of the time, the responsibility of caring for aging parents falls on the adult children.

So, you may be thinking a few things:

• I’m not sure how to take care of aging parents
• I need help caring for my mother/father
• How do I get home care for my mother/father?

In this article, we help family caregivers like you know what to do when your elderly parent needs care and how to get carers for the elderly at home.

How to Take Care of Aging Parents

1. Acknowledge your needs and limitations

Before assuming that you have to become a family caregiver, stop and think about your personal circumstances.

• Do you live close enough to help out regularly?
• Are you physically able to care for someone else?
• Do you have a healthy relationship with your parent(s)?
• Do you have the disposition to be a caregiver for seniors?
• Do you have other responsibilities that would interfere with being a caregiver?

These are just some of the questions to consider before jumping into the role of a caregiver. It’s not selfish to acknowledge that you’re not the best person to be caring for aging parents. Caregiving is not for everyone; it’s a vocation for compassionate, patient individuals who find fulfillment in caring for older adults. 

If possible, you should maintain the role of son or daughter, not your parent’s caregiver. No one should judge you for saying, “I need help caring for my mother.” Asking for help is an act of humility and shows self-awareness.

2. Assess your parents’ needs

The first step in caring for aging parents is to assess their needs. What activities of daily living (ADLs) can they do themselves, and which do they need help with? Some ADLs include:

• Bathing
• Grooming
• Dressing
• Ambulation
• Eating
• Toileting

As you start supporting elderly parents, write down everything you help them do and when. For instance, maybe your mother can move around fine during the day but needs help at night getting to the bathroom. Keep a care journal for a month to capture everything you do for them on both a daily and monthly basis, such as bill pay.

Once you’ve thoroughly evaluated the situation, you’ll know what to expect and how you can best help them. You can also use your notes as a baseline, tracking any health changes you notice over time.

3. Prioritize home safety

Whether your parents live with you or alone, start by identifying any safety hazards around their residence. More than one out of four older adults will fall each year in the United States, making falls a major concern. To minimize risks such as falling, consider making the following adjustments around your parent’s home:

• Clear walkways of clutter, rugs, and cords
• Install railings to stairways
• Add grab bars in the bathroom
• Place non-slip strips in the shower/tub
• Add nightlights around the house
• Lock medications in a drawer or cabinet

If your elderly parent is living with dementia, move locks above or below eye level on exterior doors and remove locks on interior doors to prevent them from locking themselves in.

4. Get help for aging parents

Although supporting elderly parents may be feasible now, it will eventually get to a point where they need more specialized care on a regular basis. You’ll know when that day comes if you begin saying things like, “I need help caring for my mother” or “My mother needs home care.”

You don’t want to resent your parents, so get help for aging parents before you burn yourself out. Here are a few ways you can reduce the stress of caregiving while still supporting elderly parents:

• Enroll your parent in an adult daycare program
• Hire an in-home caregiver
• Find a senior companion
• Use a respite care service
• Ask family members to help out

Select the best option based on your loved one’s needs and how you’re feeling. If you just need a break for a few days, consider respite care. If you want a professional to take on the role of caregiver, get in touch with an in-home care agency like Commonwise Home Care.

How Do I Get Home Care for My Mother? Contact Commonwise

As a premier home care company, Commonwise provides the services of compassionate, trained in-home caregivers in Charlottesville, Richmond, Williamsburg, VA, and Charleston, SC.  We’re committed to preserving the health and independence of older adults wherever they call home.

If you’re saying, “I need help caring for my mother/father,” get in touch with us. We understand the burden placed on family caregivers, and we want to help alleviate it. Our expert care managers work with families to thoroughly assess your aging loved ones’ needs and then recommend the best type of care for them.

Whether you have questions about home care or are ready to get help for aging parents, we’d be honored to serve your family in whatever ways we can.