9 Reasons to Become a Home Care Nurse or Caregiver

As the aging population increases and healthcare budgets stretch tighter, the demand for home care services is growing stronger. Efficient, productive, and affordable home care is an appealing option for patients who prefer receiving the necessary care in the comfort of their homes. It also offers excellent career opportunities to people with the right professional skills and personal qualities.

While a career in home care might seem challenging at first, it may be one of the most rewarding and satisfying careers you are likely to have. Here are a few reasons why you should consider a career as a home care nurse or caregiver.

Reasons to Consider These Roles

You Can Acquire Diverse Healthcare Experience

First, being a home care nurse or caregiver gives you the opportunity to work across various care settings, including daycare centers, nursing homes, hospitals, and the homes of clients. Doing so allows you to try out diverse care settings to find what suits you best before committing to a single one for the long term.

You may also care for a wide range of individuals from different backgrounds and ages, which diversifies your experience even further.

This amount of variation is fantastic, as we all have different areas where we shine. So, you get the chance to learn where you fit and build the career that works best for you. All this experience can also be powerful when you’re seeking work later on as well.  

The Salary is Competitive

Salary is surprisingly competitive for caring roles. According to Glassdoor, home care salary ranges from $31,000 per year for a home health aide to $75,000 per year for a registered nurse.

You can dramatically increase the value of your job market and salary by enrolling in any of these online adult-gerontology MSN programs. There are other ways to increase your income too, such as by working on public holidays, taking night shifts, or focusing on more challenging duties.

Of course, your earning potential will also vary based on where you live and your employer. You may also need to shop around a little to find the best option for your experience, education, and location.

It’s a Flexible and Customized Career

Hospital, clinic, and other healthcare facility professionals don’t have much say in the schedule they get. There’s little flexibility regarding the working hours and you typically work in the same place each day. Plus, you will generally be handling over 20 patients at a time, which can be a challenging juggling act.

Home care is different. You typically have a much more flexible schedule and may have some downtime while the person you’re caring for rests. You may only be caring for a single senior or perhaps a few, which decreases the stress and allows you to provide more personalized care.

You’ll get the most flexibility if you work for yourself instead of for an agency. However, even agency employees have more flexibility than you might expect. You might even choose to work part-time and just support one or two patients. This could be perfect if you have other commitments and don’t want a full-time position.

There’s High Demand for Nurses and Caregivers

Demand for nurses and caregivers is likely to increase for quite some time, partly because the baby boomers are now hitting retirement age. We don’t have enough healthcare professionals to support the needs of this population, and that issue is only going to get worse as they get further into their senior years.

And that’s only one group of people. The rest of the population is still going to need healthcare as well.

This means that people skilled in nursing and caregiving will always have career opportunities. The level of demand should also give you plenty of options about the specific jobs you pick and where you work.

Less Administrative Work

Healthcare workers in a conventional hospital or hospice might be required to handle administrative work or other tasks that don’t fall under the scope of healthcare and nursing. Due to the alternating shifts, creating detailed and thorough patient records is also vital since the employee taking over your shift will need to know what to do on their shift.

While it’s impossible to run away from administrative work, particularly in big companies, being a home care nurse allows you to focus mostly on the meaningful and fulfilling work of caring for others. You will not have to worry about other tasks that may take more time from your primary role.

Some employers will want more paperwork than others, so it’s worth asking a few questions before accepting any job offer.

Increased Social Connection

Home care nurses and caregivers have a greater opportunity to connect with their patients on an individual level. You get to spend more time with each patient and can provide personalized care, instead of needing to rush from one to the next.

Elderly people receiving care in the comfort of their homes are also usually more friendly and relaxed. They are often more willing to share their life experiences and stories, so home care nurses can see more perspectives than other healthcare professionals.

People who feel connected with others are less prone to anxiety and depression and have improved overall physical health. Social connections have also been linked with fewer incidences of diseases and faster disease recovery. In contrast, a low sense of social connection may lead to low self-esteem or psychological distress.

These patterns have multiple benefits.

First, seniors receiving home care often feel more connected and supported than those in a hospital or facility. This can help with their mental and physical health.

The increased connection is good for those providing care too, offering a better sense of the senior as an individual and even supporting your own mental health.  

A Great Opportunity for Personal Growth and Development

Supporting seniors is always complex. There are many things at play all at the same time, including the challenges of aging, chronic health conditions, the desire for independence and autonomy, and the potential for family drama.

Plus, every senior is unique, with their own specific needs and challenges. Because of this, support workers need to use problem-solving and creativity to meet the needs of the senior in the best way possible. Doing so can really stretch you, making the experience powerful for personal growth and development.

You’ll likely find that your problem-solving and communication skills improve as a result of the role. This sets you up well for future work in any client-facing position.

There’s Plenty of Independence

Home care nurses and caregivers typically work one-on-one with the client. You often won’t have anyone there with you and will have a decent amount of autonomy to make choices independently. This can be much more appealing than a hospital environment, where everything needs to be signed off and confirmed.

This is another area to look into before taking on a job, as there is variation here. For example, some families will be much more involved than others. Such involvement is often a good thing, but can sometimes mean the family is questioning every decision you make.

It’s a Meaningful and Impactful Job

Finally, many home care workers derive meaning from their job. You’re getting the chance to improve someone’s life while helping their families at the same time. Doing so can add meaning to your life and may be a big reason for getting into the field.

With caregiver burnout becoming more common and problematic, you can also reduce the burden on your care recipients’ families and help them lead better lives.  

Other Things to Consider

While there are many benefits to a job as a home care nurse or caregiver, the role isn’t without its challenges. It can be both physically and emotionally intense, which is why many caregivers struggle with burnout.

If you do plan to pursue this career, it’s crucial to have good self-care strategies in place. You should also learn to recognize warning signs of stress and overwhelm in yourself. This way you can pull back and take care of yourself early and don’t put your health at risk.

Final Thoughts

There are indeed many reasons to become a home care nurse or caregiver. However, as with all roles, it’s important to consider your needs and wishes too. Is this career path going to be a good fit for you? Does it feel meaningful and worth pursuing?