10 Positive Things About Working in Home Care 

Yes, working in homecare is tough. The hours are long, the work is challenging, and truth be told, it is difficult for caregivers and clinical staff to earn their true worth. But home care workers are special people and if you talk to them, you’ll find they have a lot of good to say about the job, too.  

It’s important for the positive side of things to be shared as well as the risks and downsides. The bad and the ugly, yes; but also, the good! 

So today, let’s put away the stresses and warnings and focus on the positive side of life in home care with a look at this list of  

10 Good Things about Working in Home Care 

1. Helping people in need. It may sound obvious because in many ways it is the definition of the job, but it just plain feels good to help others. Sometimes we can forget this in life, but it’s true and caregivers get the opportunity every day they are on the job. 

2. Being a companion. It’s easy to take our daily interactions and socialization for granted. People who are largely homebound, who have limited mobility, transport, and limited opportunities for socialization and contact with other people, really do value the companionship that caregivers provide. And vice-versa. It’s rather nice to work in a job in which being a friend is part of the job description. 

3. Providing a service. Anyone who works in service knows there is a love/dislike (hate being too strong a word) aspect to the job. It’s hard work. But there is a lot of reward in knowing that you can provide a service that eases the life of another.  

4. Scheduling flexibility. On a more practical note, one of the reasons a lot of caregivers choose this line of work is that it fits their life. Shifts run round the clock, 24/7, 365 days a year. There is a lot of opportunity to work on a team and build your own schedule.  

5. Being an advocate. Advocating for care recipients and patients who are not able to advocate for themselves can be challenging at times but being successful and knowing you are fighting a good fight for another is highly rewarding. Clients and patients may not have the knowledge, experience, communication skills, or may no longer have the physical or cognitive skills to ask for and access the care and resources they need. When you do that for someone who can’t, the sense of self value and appreciation cannot be matched. 

6. Keeping people in their homes. Home is where the heart is. It is where people want to be, especially when life is challenging them. It is where injured people want to heal and where sick people feel the most comfortable. It is where aging persons want to live out their days—in the place they’ve come to know and love. Caregivers bring the sick and injured home. They help the elderly maintain autonomy over their life choices and stay where they want to live. It’s almost hard to describe the pride that comes with knowing you’ve given this gift.  

7. Hearing life stories. People who enjoy working in the field of home care and caregiving are people who tend to have an interest in the lives of other people. Whether working with the old or the young, a young person with a chronic condition, a middle-aged worker with a catastrophic injury, or an elderly person who needs assistance as they age, all people have a story to tell. Caregivers become a part of that story. They get to hear those stories, too. There is a lot to learn and share and it’s an interesting part of what some people may see as a potentially mundane job. 

8. Building relationships. It is not uncommon to hear a caregiver say that they become personally invested in the life and care of their clients. That they build relationships with them. That they may even become friends. While of course there are professional boundaries that are maintained, it is quite a perq when caregiver and receiver form that relationship; when time spent together is more than just work. 

9. Appreciation given and received. It is not always easy to watch some of the challenges and frustrations that clients go through, but it does help shine a light on the good in your own life. Working with varied populations, with people in varying degrees of health and ability gives you a perspective on many aspects of life.  

10. A priceless position. Truth be told, it is difficult to put a price on quality caregiving and good home care. Some people find that the personal costs of the job are too high. It is not, in all honesty, a job for everyone. Those people tend to move on away from the field but for others, there is a pricelessness to their pricelessness. A sense of accomplishment. A job well done. A sense of purpose and meaning. The appreciation received. The gift of the voice of experience and life meaning. It’s a priceless job, no matter which side you’re looking at it from. One with benefits that just can’t be beat. 

Let’s be positive about home care! If you’re a caregiver, what do you love about your job?  

If you are a care receiver or a recipient’s family member, what do you love about the caregiver experience? 

Further reading:

https://thewomensalzheimersmovement.org/benefits-caregiver/ 

https://caregiversamerica.com/the-benefits-of-being-a-caregiver/ 

https://www.apa.org/pi/about/publications/caregivers/faq/positive-aspects