Oh, a day in the life of a caregiver- we hustle in to the house, clock in and get busy. Dishes to do, dog to walk, cat litter to scoop, garbage to empty, meal to make, laundry to do…the list is endless. Maybe we are showering, dressing. feeding our client. Maybe we have groceries to get. Busy…busy…busy…such a lot to do and sometimes a short time to do it.

Did any of you see anything wrong with that picture? I will give you a few minutes. What do you see that might be missing? How about a hint? One of the most repeated comments we receive when asking clients how things are going is- “They are so good at getting things done. It is such a big help! But I wish they would sit and visit with me more.”

Yup, in our determination to do a good job we are sometimes forgetting our primary reason for being there- our client, who needs to feel valued as a person, liked and cared about for who they are not what they are paying for. Often, they are lonely and need that companionship even more than the other things. 

If laughter and love are the best medicines, doesn’t it make sense to administer them as much as possible? How about we all make it a goal to spend at least 10-15 minutes giving your undivided attention to your clients each shift? Just sit and ask how things are going, or how has your day been, how is the cat feeling today, and then let them do most of the talking. I think we might all be surprised with the results.