trained and certified caregivers

Leading In-Home Senior Care Provider Shares Advice for Finding the Perfect Match to Commemorate National Caregivers Day, Feb. 15

BALTIMORE — In honor of National Caregivers Day (February 15), Senior Helpers^®, the nation’s premier provider of in-home senior care services, is offering helpful tips to ensure lasting and rewarding relationships between caregivers and their clients. According to AARP, today there are nearly 40 million family members, neighbors, strangers and caregivers helping those in need with everyday tasks, and as the “Silver Tsunami” rises, it’s more important than ever that these caregiving relationships go the distance.

Peter Ross, CEO and co-founder of Senior Helpers, outlines four ways to make sure a caregiver/client relationship is a match that can withstand the test of time:

• Partnering Personalities—As with any personal relationship, it’s important that caregivers and clients share a good personality match. A complementary personality is not only key to helping avoid clashes on a regular basis, but caregivers with an adaptive personality also tend to have an easier experience working with many different types of clients. At Senior Helpers, clients and caregivers take a personality test to best determine what their needs are and what they can provide to those around them.
• Cultural Compatibility—Finding caregivers with cultural similarities to their clients can assist in creating a meaningful connection. Language can be a critical factor in finding the right fit for caregivers because it’s crucial for open communications. Taking holidays, cooking, traditions and customs into consideration when finding the right caregiver can provide a deeper understanding between the two and alleviate any potential stress or frustration.
• Connecting Compassion and Patience—One of the most important traits for ensuring a lasting caregiver/client relationship is identifying caregivers who have natural compassion and patience. Caring for someone with Alzheimer’s or dementia or recovering from a recent fall can be frustrating for everyone involved, but having patience and treating others with compassion and respect goes a long way.
• Uncover Similar Interests—It’s important for caregivers to take the time to learn what their client enjoys—and what their client is physically capable of doing. Whether it’s reading, going for a walk, playing board games, listening to music or watching a favorite movie, these are all activities that can be enjoyed together. These types of activities give seniors the opportunity to share something personally meaningful and are also great ways to keep the mind and body active. This approach to building a long-term relationship goes far beyond solely taking care of a person’s physical needs and focuses on improving social ties and quality of life.

“There’s a high demand for senior care, and we need to take extra care in pairing clients with compatible caregivers to create lasting, healthy relationships,” adds Ross. “At Senior Helpers, we hold our caregivers to high standards and want every pair to enjoy each other’s company as much as possible. We look at a potential match from all angles to make sure caregivers, clients and their families are happy.”

Founded in 2001, Senior Helpers operates with a vision to be the leading home care company in each community it serves. Its caregivers are fully trained and certified to offer the highest level of care possible based on the company’s Senior Gems® Alzheimer’s and Dementia care program. As the gold standard for excellence in personalized in-home senior care, the program was developed in conjunction with nationally recognized dementia care expert Teepa Snow, Positive Approach, LLC. The company also offers a Parkinson’s Care Program, a specialized training program for their caregivers created in conjunction with leading experts from the Parkinson’s Foundation’s Centers of Excellence network.

For more information on Senior Helpers or to learn about hiring opportunities in your area, visit www.seniorhelpers.com/jobs.