Caregiver Jobs

Free Research Studies for Seniors and Caregivers

Julie Northcutt — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:29:09 GMT

Seniors and their caregivers may participate in professionally managed research studies to help provide feedback on various medications and care approaches.

Advantages of participating in a research study?

Free medical evaluation
Free medications (if medications are being studied)
Free check-ups with medical doctors, psychologists, social workers and other medical professionals
Education about best-practices for your diseases and health conditions

In addition, usually the senior's caregiver may also participate in providing feedback for the study and will receive a free medical physical, which is usually required for most studies.

The medical professionals are usually very experienced in researching specific diseases and health conditions and just having access to these high-quality care practitioners is another benefit of participating in a study.

Remember, every medication we currently take was once part of a drug research study and it only makes sense that more helpful drugs are part of these studies and they just might help with your current medical condition (without the price tag of a pharmacy bill).

Find out about the current research trials needing senior participants at Radiant Research - view the research trials by city and submit your request to participate. Current studies include Alzheimer's Disease, Osteoarthritis, Heart Disease, Diabetes and more. You may also find information about caring for various age-related diseases in our Care Briefs.
seniorcare, researchstudies, freetrials

Create Your Own Caregiver Resume

Julie Northcutt — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:37:18 GMT

Professional caregivers sometimes must apply for a new job after a client passes away or no longer needs caregiving services. A professional looking resume will highlight your experiences and skills. In addition, it is always a good idea to update your resume after obtaining training for special caregiving skills, such as memory loss care training.

Caregiverlist's Build-A-Resume tool allows you to highlight your:

Education
Work History
References

Simply plug in your information, following the lead of Sally's Sample Resume (you may also click to view the design of the completed caregiver resume). Then preview, confirm and download the resume.

Attach the resume to your job application with Caregiverlist or use for any other company you apply for a job with and your application will stand out from the crowd. caregiverresume, caregiverjob, carejob, resume

Healthcare Reform: Including Insurance for Senior Caregivers

Julie Northcutt — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 02:10:38 GMT

Everyone agrees the current U.S. healthcare system is broken - including both Republican and Democratic Congressman while sitting at the same table discussing how to fix the problems. While many special interests are fighting to make sure they keep their sweet deals, it is important to let your voice be heard.

The healthcare bill will not be perfect. But overhauling anything is a challenge and you must begin by unloading the truck. Some items will eventually be tossed back onto the truck and the same thing will be true for the healthcare bill. Once it is passed, amendments will come along to modify and change various aspects of it.

Caregiverlist's survey of professional caregivers resulted in nearly 75% of senior caregivers not being covered by a company health insurance plan. The reason? Either small businesses did not offer it or offered a plan that was not affordable.

It is estimated that 66 million family caregivers assist a loved one with senior care needs. If they must quit their job to assist with care, they also have the challenge of no access to health insurance as an individual, or paying an average of $250 per month for a high-deductible health insurance plan. Yikes!

As a senior or caregiver, let your voice be heard by contacting your congressmen or senators. To find out how to reach them, visit: www.congress.org or call the Capitol Switchboard, toll-free, at 1-800-828-0498.

Remember that many Americans never have health insurance until they turn 65 and qualify for Medicare insurance - which also burdens the healthcare system because all of these seniors did not enjoy preventive healthcare. Imagine how much better Medicare insurance would be if those entering the system had prior healthcare to prevent and manage health problems rather than allowing them to escalate.

seniorcare, healthcare, caregiver

Caregiver Health Insurance Cost Increases: NPDA Report

Julie Northcutt — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:57:01 GMT

The National Private Duty Association's annual conference is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania this week.

Today's keynote speech, by Dr. John Bowling, the Director of the PRS School of Aging Services and Coordinator of the Management of Aging Services program at Southern Oregon Univesity, outlined the future needs of aging seniors.

What is the future of aging? No surprise, the majority of seniors plan on a combination of professional and family care to age-in-place. 65% of seniors prefer this solution, while 0% plans on aging in a nursing home.

Dr. Bowling also mentioned that the healthcare system is broken.

Among the issues?

Small companies, which includes senior care agencies, hospices and Medicare agencies, are paying 18% more for employee benefits than large corporations.

This helps explain why only 26% of Caregivers said "yes, as a professionally employed caregiver, I receive health insurance benefits", in Caregiverlist's recent survey.

Senior Caregivers: Is Health Insurance a Standard Benefit? Surprisingly, It Usually Is Not

Julie Northcutt — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:00:13 GMT

Starbuck's founder, Howard Schultz, was passionate about finding away to provide health insurance for all Starbuck's employees. Each Starbucks coffee shop employees several people to take the drink orders, make the coffee and take the money. These positions do not require high level skills but do pay more than minimum wage (the national minimum wage rate is $7.25).

The challenge in providing health insurance for workers, as a corporation, is technically 75% of your staff must participate in the group health insurance plan in order for a group plan to be offered. The employees must also be willing to chip in for the monthly premium. This usually is no problem for higher income workers. But a monthly premium of $50 hits harder for an employee being paid $8 or $9 an hour and usually the premium is higher than $50 a month.

Senior care companies have the additional challenge of high employee turnover (even at nursing homes, the nursing aide turnover is often higher that at a fast-food restaurant due to the emotional and physical toll caregiving takes and the high number of patients each nursing aide must care for during a shift).

Starbucks succeeded in providing health insurance for all employees working at least 20 hours per week, and much to the dismay of many shareholders, the company takes the hit for this cost. Howard Schultz was passionate about this because as a child, his family suffered financial hardships because his father's jobs did not provide health insurance. The family lived in public housing and he knew from experience that when your entire paycheck must pay for health problems, there is nothing left over.

In today's current health system, the burden for insurance is placed on companies and there is not a good alternative for individuals seeking their own individual health insurance or for those who are unemployed. Unless you show up at the emergency room - and then the circle continues as hospitals and doctors eat these costs which are passed on in higher insurance costs and higher costs of services.

Professional caregivers should all be provided with health insurance benefits - - - there is such irony in being a caregiver yet not being cared for as an employee receiving health insurance - - - and even those who must quit their jobs to be a family caregiver should have access to affordable health insurance. That is not the case now.

PROFESSIONAL CAREGIVERS: LET US KNOW IF YOU HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE IN THE CAREGIVERLIST SURVEY

seniorcaregiver, healthbenefits, caregiveremployment

Caregiver Training Schools

Julie Northcutt — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:21:14 GMT

Senior caregivers may begin their careers first as a caregiver for a family member, neighbor or friend. They develop many of their skills on the job.

Caregivers working for quality senior home care agencies must first complete a training program and orientation. This training can be from 1 hour to 20 hours and more and more states are enacting legislation to require training hours for even non-medical, companion caregivers. In addition, most senior care companies provide on-going training opportunities for caring for seniors with specific conditions and training for providing care for each of the types of memory loss.

Senior care briefs provide information on caring for specific conditions, such as a stroke or hip replacement. You may also view caregiver training videos to learn how to transfer a senior safely and manage care needs for a senior with memory loss.

Certified Nursing Aide training programs provide classroom and field training for caregivers to learn the skills necessary to manage for all the personal care and emotional care needs of seniors. C.N.A. training programs will enable students to pass the state certification exam and begin working at a nursing home, hospital, hospice or home care agency when hands-on care is required.

You may explore training opportunities and take a free sample nursing aide test to find out about the skills taught in a training program. Ongoing employment opportunities are available for certified nursing aides as the large baby boomer generation ages - living longer and requiring assistance with care. seniorcaregiver, caregivertraining, trainingvideos

C.N.A. Training Schools

Julie Northcutt — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:01:45 GMT

Caregivers interested in advancing their careers and gaining more pay and more job opportunities may consider becoming a Certified Nursing Assistant (C.N.A.).

C.N.A.'s learn senior caregiving skills, both hands-on care techniques for safety and managing the emotional aspects of caregiving.

Many C.N.A. schools offer scholoarships or grants or tuition-reimbursement programs to attract more students to the industry. As nursing homes, hospitals and assisted living communities must maintain a certain percentage of C.N.A.'s on staff to maintain their licensing requirements, there are ongoing job opportunities available for certified nursing assistants.

Each state requires nursing aides to pass their certification exam after first completing a state-approved nursing aide course which includes field work. Usually courses are between 6 and 8 weeks and both part-time and full-time courses are available through colleges and community programs. Some nursing homes and hospitals offer C.N.A. training programs.

Learn about the job duties for certified nursing aides, take a sample nursing aide test or practice test and find the location and cost of nursing aide schools in your area on Caregiverlist and apply for a professional caregiving job (both part-time and full-time opportunities are available).

January 2010 Unemployment at 9.7%: Caregiving Jobs Growing

Julie Northcutt — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 19:35:20 GMT

The U.S. Department of Labor reported this morning that the unemployment rate for January, 2010, is 9.7%, with employment in retail and temporary work increasing. At the same time, the health care and social service industry sector increased from 13.3 % to 17.1 % of the total job market from January a year ago - another indicator that employment opportunities in the healthcare field are indeed growing to keep up with the needs of the large baby boomer generation.

What type of jobs are available in senior care for individuals with no experience in caregiving?

Companion Caregivers
Senior Home Care Agency Office Staff: Office Manager, Scheduler, Recruiter
Community Relations (Sales)

What types of jobs are available in senior care for experienced caregivers?

Certified Nursing Aides
Certified Home Health Aides
Personal Care Aides
Licensed Practical Nurse
Registered Nurse
Social Worker

You may become a certified nursing aide by attending a state approved training program and successfully completing the state C.N.A. exam. You can obtain companion caregiver training by working for a senior home care agency which usually will provide training as part of their new employee orientation program (some states require a specific amount of training hours for each new caregiver). You may also take a sample or practice nursing aide test to learn more about the skills a training program will teach.

As the Department of Labor statistics indicate, you will most likely enjoy long-term employment in the senior care field, along with the fulfillment of doing work which is highly appreciated.

seniorcarejobs, caregivingjobs, healthcarejobs

Alzheimer's Clinical Trial Studies Benefit both Caregivers and Seniors

Julie Northcutt — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 18:23:43 GMT

By participating in a clinical drug trial, you will receive valuable medical information at no charge, along with access to medical care which may improve your medical condition. Remember that all medications we currently take first had to be tested in a clinical trial study - and many of these medications work very well. The U.S. government's Food and Drug Administration requires medications to show positive performance in clinical trials before being approved.

How can you learn about clinical trials in your area?

Ask your doctor
Ask your pharmacist
Check with the local association for your disease (Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, etc.)

You may receive a monetary stipend for your participation along with travel and telephone expense reimbursement. Be sure to first learn about the requirements for participants, as these are usually very specific. Sometimes caregivers are also provided with reimbursement as their feedback is considered valuable.

This Alzheimer's Disease research study requires participation in 14 meetings and 3 telephone calls and will span 14 months. The medical evaluations alone can be worth participating in a study, as you will be working with a leading team of doctors and researchers.

You may also contact the department of aging in your area to find out about age-related programs which may be helpful, and sometimes they also know about clinical trials. drugtrials, AlzheimersDisease, memoryloss

Hospital Care - Protecting Your Loved Ones

Julie Northcutt — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 14:33:01 GMT

Yesterday we blogged about the increase in health care associated infections (HAI's) which are infections patients develop while staying at a healthcare facility such as a hospital or nursing home. Those of us in the senior care industry are very familiar with the new friends - HAI"S - seniors gain when they go into the hospital for a hip-replacement or another surgery - MRSA being one of the most common infections senior's take home with them.

A new book provides information on how to naviagate the healthcare system and make it home alive:

Critical Conditions: The Essential Hospital Guide to Get Your Loved One Out Alive

The book interviews more than 150 doctors, nurses, hosptial staff and family members and provides advice on how to avoid the medication mistakes, infectious diseases and prevent medical errors. The book also helps with ways to develop positive relationships with medical staff.

Senior home care agencies provide Geriatric Care Managers to assist families with making sure seniors are receiving quality care and that communication flows between all care providers and Caregiverlist provides information on quality standards for senior home care agencies.
seniorcare, caregiver, hospitalcare