Interview a person who works with older adults - Essay Example

March 9, Interview Summary: A Person Who Works with Older Adults One had the opportunity to interview aperson who works as a caregiver for older adults. She requested to keep personal identification in private and confidential nature. As such, she is hereby referred to as Ms. LRC. The current discourse hereby summarizes the results of the interview which touches on areas such as: educational training, the description of their duties, as well as the pros and cons of working in that career from her perspective.

Likewise, her perceptions on the major changes in this field of endeavor since she entered the profession would also be disclosed. Finally, the type of training needed to enter in this particular profession today would also be presented. According to Ms. LRC, she graduated with a degree in medical technology from a university in a Southeast Asian country, where she originated. She narrated that she was not able to apply her degree in the United States due to stringent credentials, including taking advanced courses to credit the degree program, as well as to obtain the needed licenses to work.

Due to financial constraints, she opted to go into the caregiving career. She was referred to take care of an old lady in Florida in the late 1980s. She was 35 years old then. She was interviewed by the children of the old lady and was accepted due to her professional stance. She was highly proficient in English and her maturity and alleged knowledge in the health care profession was an added competency. In addition, Ms. LRC noted that she took personal care of her father when he became sick and was bedridden.

Likewise, at the time, she was also attending to the personal needs of her old mother who was already 65 years old by then. The basic duties are relayed to be categorized into three: (1) providing companionship; (2) home helper, and (3) addressing health needs in the home setting. Thus, in a typical day, Ms. LRC relayed that the tasks which are undertaken in stipulated time frames could be categorized according to hygiene tasks, preparing for the elder’s food (breakfast, lunch, and snacks), cleaning the house, doing some laundry for the elder’s clothes, running errands or doing some shopping for the elder’s basis needs, and providing companionship and assistance in leisure activities (watching television, reading a book, or doing some minor physical fitness activities).

In addition, one is also in charge of ensuring that prescribed medications have been taken and administered according to the right frequency and dosage. According to Ms. LRC, the pros of being a caregiver include: (1) the feeling of upliftment in providing companionship and assistance to the elderly, as needed; (2) being compensated appropriately; and (3) gaining opportunities to travel with the elder to other places and destinations, as required. On the other hand, the cons include: (1) needed special skills in attending to the needs and demands of the elderly; (2) being very patient and accommodating; (3) being vigilant and assuming a pro-active stance to anticipate the elders’ varied needs.

As emphasized, since Ms. LRC has been a caregiver for almost 30 years, there were major changes in terms of the need to secure home care licenses in some states, as well as medical training. As learned, other states require forma home care training and to pass standardized tests to enter the profession, especially when one earmarks employment in certified home health or hospice agencies.