The Culture of Caregiving

The caregiving profession is one that attracts individuals from all types of cultures. One quality they all have in common, however, is their desire to help the elderly in a way only a few can.


One needs to dig deep in the screening process to find out about experience, and the quality of that experience, in order to determine if the candidate would make a good caregiver for your company. Sometimes, the best caregivers won't articulate their experience in a way that portrays their desire and/or ability to do the job. Upon initial judgment, many candidates might be turned away. Once their personal history and background are considered, however, their experience can be more than sufficient to be an outstanding caregiver.


A perfect example of this was when I didn't schedule an interview with a potential caregiver because she told me she didn't have any experience. However, since she was referred by a current, long standing employee, I reconsidered later and invited her for an interview. Upon asking her again, "Do you have any experience caring for an elderly individual?" Her response was, "Well not really. Just my husband who was over 70, had Alzheimer's, and was bed bound for the last 4 years of his life." BINGO! She is now one of our highly respected, dependable caregivers.


Caregiving comes from the heart. If an individual's culture and experience come from the same caring, positive attitude, you can rarely go wrong.