According to the latest stats, there has been a gradual increase in the population of older adults in the last few decades. This has increased the demand for dependable elder care services. The nursing aides for adult care is staff that provides vital assistance to older adults in performing their daily activities such as eating, taking a bath, dressing up, taking care of the medication and in some cases, moving. The life expectancy has increased so has the demand for home health care services as more people are living longer and need personalized home care.
With dedicated nursing services available for the elderly, the quality of older adults’ home health care has enhanced greatly due to factors like reduced chances of medical errors, improved independence for patients reliant on others, timely medication and proper use of medical devices and customized home healthcare settings.
Challenges Faced by Nursing Aids
While professionals in this field are greatly in demand, it represents challenges as well as opportunities. So let’s briefly explore the challenges faced by these professionals.
- Understanding specific care needs of patients – Every patient has his own set of needs depending on the medical condition he is facing and his current physical condition. A home health care provider has to communicate and comprehend with a number of patients to understand their particular needs. While some patients may require more assistance in performing their daily activities, others recovering from a condition may not. A patient with injuries may require general assistance while someone with a neurological condition may need complete attention. So a nursing aid provider has to understand the specific care needs of a patient.
- Different home environment – There is a lot of difference in providing the same set of healthcare in a traditional medical setting and in a home healthcare setting. For a healthcare provider, each home is different and may pose certain challenges for providing the needed care. There may be patient’s family members living together in the home. The patient’s age related issues are yet another challenging topic.
- Deficiency of staff – The demand for nursing aides for the elderly is much higher than the staff available. This demand is exponentially growing every year. Due to the complexity of the job responsibilities, very few people are opting this as a career.
- Lesser remunerations – According to the professionals providing their services in this sector, the wages offered are lower than expected. This makes it difficult for nursing aides to make the needed arrangements and perform their duties with ease.
- Physically demanding nature of work – The task of a nursing aid requires a lot of physical energy as the patients are dependent on them. They are responsible for the physical tasks such as helping patients in moving, assisting them in bathing and performing other tasks that require physical strength. Additionally, this job is not time bound; the nursing aid has to stay energized the whole day. This may cause work-related injuries, fatigue and musculoskeletal disorders which can further lead to absenteeism and reduced productivity.
Due to these issues faced by the current home health care workers, lesser number of people are finding interest in serving in this category. However, there are limitless opportunities for those who are interested in this career.
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Opportunities for Nursing Aids
A few important factors enhancing the opportunities in this sector are discussed below:
- Growing demand of professionals – Due to the ever increasing demand for nursing aides in elder care, this sector presents numerous opportunities. The aging baby boomer population, as it is known, will require more care in the coming times.
- Career progression openings – For nurses, it is a better career opportunity of becoming a licensed practical nurse or a registered nurse. It would need them to acquire additional education and training to become eligible for getting higher salaries and better job security.
- Flexible working timings – As an elder care provider, one can get flexible scheduling options to choose from. With this flexibility, it becomes easier to balance work and personal life and thus, enhances job satisfaction. For instance, work timings may have options like part-time or weekend shifts.
- Job security – Job security is yet another feature that this profile offers. For those who are seeking a secure and stable job, working as a nursing aid is a great option. This sector will always have openings and people looking for these professionals would look for a dependable and stable person who can provide long term services.
- Job satisfaction – Nothing can be more satisfying than helping others who need support. The role of a nursing aid for older adults who need care is very critical. This can be incredibly satisfying and rewarding as having a home healthcare assistant is going to make a positive impact on the lives of the older adults. For those who are motivated to help others, the job of a nursing aid presents a favorable opportunity.
Qualifications and Skills Required to be a Nursing Assistant
After having a graduation degree, you can opt for a certified nursing assistant course. The benefits of CNA training is that along with the degree, you can get hands-on experience at a healthcare centre. In addition to the qualification, soft skills like keen listening, attention to details, thorough observation, flexibility and compassion can greatly help you in achieving success in this career.
With the ever increasing demand for nursing aides in elder care, there are significant opportunities for those who are interested in entering the field. Nursing aides have the better career progression, enjoy flexible timings, job security and job satisfaction. Most importantly, they can make the lives of older adults better by providing the needed care and assistance with daily activities. So it can be said that this rewarding sector presents both challenges and opportunities. It is your personal choice whether you value the opportunities or the challenges keep you from trying. For those who are looking forward to making a career in this sector, it is worth an attempt.
