Let's Salute Home-Based Caregivers: 3 Ways to Enhance a Caregiver's Work Life

November is National Home Care & Hospice Month, a time to celebrate and recognize the home care nurses, aides, therapists and social workers who deliver outstanding care to people in their homes.

According to the National Association for Home Care & Hospice, home care provides high-quality, compassionate care to more than 5 million Americans annually. With 90% of Americans choosing to age in place and home care being the preferred method of care delivery for the disabled, elderly, and chronically ill, home-based caregivers are a vitally important part of the healthcare system. 

Caregivers enhance our lives in innumerable ways and it’s time to return the favor. 

Here are three strategies home care organizations can enact to help caregivers help others.

1. Provide tools that improve job performance

Understanding the needs and demands of staff goes a long way in helping them succeed. 

Technology can enhance a caregiver’s work life by removing cumbersome tasks and automating much of their day-to-day work. Provide communication tools that facilitate electronic visit verification and meet EVV regulatory requirements. 

With these tools, aides can easily access their schedule for the day, view all details about the patient and scheduled care plan activities. This helps caregivers provide the truly person-centered care patients value. What’s more, when caregivers go into a new home, agencies can verify they’ve arrived safely through EVV technology.   

2. Reduce the burden of documenting care 

Ask any nurse or nursing aide what their biggest job frustration is—nine out of 10 times, ‘charting’ tops the list.

You can eliminate this frustration by providing caregivers with mobile, point-of-care documentation tools that allow caregivers to chart patient visits while in the home, rather than at end-of-day.

Having work completed real-time at the point of care reduces stress, improves collaboration and supports daily feeling of accomplishment for staff. Maintaining staff longevity comes down to ensuring work/life balance is in check. 

Make caregivers’ jobs easier by giving them mobile devices and EVV tools that are easy to use. By doing so, staff can maintain focus on patients, not difficult technology. 

3. Find ways to reward their work 

In-home caregivers don’t just work hard—they work with heart, dedication and empathy. Celebrating these tireless workers and rewarding them for that passion and commitment is good for caregivers, good for care teams and great for patients. 

A simple thank-you note, along with public and personal recognition, demonstrates to your staff how much you appreciate them. In addition to these gestures, agencies can also show appreciation by giving staff the tools and technology they need to best aid their patients. 

At their core, caregivers want to give patients the best care possible. To make that desire a reality, you need to give caregivers the tools they need to make that care possible. 

By voicing appreciation and providing the necessary technology resources, you help your staff strike the perfect work/life balance, satisfying both the personal and professional.

Thank you, home-based caregivers for all you do!