The Roles and Duties of In-House Health Workers

There are many roles and responsibilities in the business of caring for older adults. The needs and roles of health care staffing in the Bay Area are multiple. Some roles classify as unrelated to medical help, and then other roles require some training in various realms of medicine, such as nursing. The needs of patients are many, as well. Some require Alzheimer’s care in the Bay Area. Other people require home care services in Bay Area residences.

When it comes to health care staffing, Bay Area nursing residences have several such employees. Some of these people are nurses. They tend to the medical needs of the patient in a compassionate way.

The need for compassion is an integral part of caring for older adults. It helps to have people who are kind and friendly. This type of nursing attention is not suited to everybody, nor do all personality types excel at receiving this type of attention. Some would prefer to be in a hospital environment.

For those who choose to work in a nursing residence environment, the job can be rewarding. It can also be challenging. Of course, a prerequisite would be that you enjoy being with aging people and caring for them. If someone would instead rather work with children, a nursing residence would not be the ideal working environment for them.

There are other roles involved in a nursing residence as well. These roles are considered non-medical staffing in Bay Area workplaces. These positions range from administrative, such as reception, to managerial, but also extend to other facets. There is a need for caregivers who do not provide help related to medicine. In many facilities, where the elderly are tended to, the staff is often required to do things that have nothing to do with wellness. These are things like providing companionship and acting in the role of friend to listen to a person and be there for them. Sometimes a person needs help with eating. This happens for various reasons, usually related to age, injury, or deteriorating levels of healthiness.

Then there are roles related to keeping the facility clean. These are also considered non-medical staffing. Bay Area facilities, like others, need to be kept clean, and housekeeping staff is essential. Sometimes, depending on the size of the facility and the organizational structure, roles and duties may cross over so that a cleaner is also a caregiver.

For people afflicted with various types of dementia, there is often a need for close monitoring and constant watchfulness. Many complications come with the illness and many challenges when providing Alzheimer’s care in the Bay Area. People who have advanced dementia may not know where they are and may wander off. They are then unable to find their way back and become lost. For this reason, security is a concern, and staff must be sure to keep an eye on the people who they are responsible for.

The forms of dementia all affect the brain and memory. A person may recognize someone on one day but not the other. This requires patience on the part of medical staff, as they may encounter resistance from the person. This can make the job challenging.

Home care services in Bay Area residences can take many forms. The needs of the resident determine the role of the provider. For instance, if someone is able to cook on their own and enjoys it, then the caregiver would not need to do this task. However, if the person were unable or unwilling to cook for themselves, then this would become part of the caregiver’s duties. For a person who enjoys being in the kitchen and cooking, this could be a rewarding form of employment. Of course, the patient’s needs must be accommodated in terms of food preferences, but even with a minimal range of foods they eat, there are still possibilities for making delicious meals.

Let’s say the only thing a person likes to eat is toast with butter and jam. This presents some challenges for a person who enjoys cooking, but it also has advantages. Presented with this situation, a person in the role of non-medical staffing in Bay Area residences could dedicate themselves to create the perfect loaf of bread. Through practice and experimentation, they could develop a bread recipe and cooking method that proves to be a favorite. Also, there are opportunities to make jams that could be enjoyed by people being cared for.

In the world of art it is said that constraints can encourage creativity. The same could be said for cooking.

Not everyone likes cooking, though. Some people prefer to tell stories. For a person interested in the oral storytelling tradition, there are many opportunities for entertaining a person being cared for through the telling of stories. There is also the opportunity to listen to stories, thus broadening the range of stories familiar to both people through a sharing experience. These stories could be facts, or they could be fiction. In this sense, the telling of stories is about entertainment and passing the time.

There are other roles required of home care services at Bay Area residences, as well. For instance, transportation needs must be accommodated. This could involve taking a person to a medical appointment or out for a drive to see the sights. Maybe there is a need to take a person to a weekly card game. This role may also combine with shopping if the person under their surveillance is able to get around a shop. They may, for this purpose, need assistance in the form of a walker or a wheelchair.

There are many roles required for being a caregiver, and these are important roles for serving people with high-needs, especially aging patients.