A Career in Aged Care- Things to Know

A Career in Aged Care- Things to Know

Are you looking to make a career in aged care?

Working as an elderly care worker is both rewarding and satisfying.

It is a rewarding career choice due to the ever-increasing ageing population in Australia. Nearly 3.8 million Australians are aged 65 and over, making up 15% of the total population. Thanks to the improved life expectancy among Australians. It is projected that there will be 8.8 million aged people in Australia—22% of the total population.

Not all of them can take care of themselves. That’s why the aged care industry in Australia is on the rise. An aged care worker helps older adults with household tasks, grooming, medication and cooking. According to one report, 29% of the elderly population has opted for support or care at home.

The aged care career is also ensuring gratification as you help the elders maintain a healthy quality of life.

So you must have understood why this career is rewarding and satisfying.

However, it requires you to opt for some aged care courses as well as workover your traits.

This brief guide will help you tick all the boxes so that you can become an efficient aged care worker.

•  Identify Your Key Skills:

There are many aged care courses in Australia to get qualified.

But becoming a good aged care worker takes more than qualification. After all, it is more than a profession in which you work to improve the quality of elderly life. That’s why you need to identify your traits and work over them. Here are some skills you should have as a care worker…

• You should have passion and commitment to serve others.
• You should be caring and inspiring.
• You should have a positive, enthusiastic attitude.
• You should have the ability to tackle a challenging situation.
• You should be respectful of your client’s home and requirements.
• You should have a better understanding of safety and cleanliness.

 To develop these skills, you can participate in the community programs for elderly or provide voluntary services in assisted living or elderly community.

•  Understand What They Do

An aged care worker assists older adults with their routine tasks as well as keeps them motivated. To do this efficiently, you need to understand the role of a care worker. It will also help you understand if the career is the right fit for you.

Care workers might find themselves working with elderly with different health conditions as well as different environments. However, their key duties include:

i) Working with clients, their families and other medical professionals to understand their specific requirements, and create a care plan.

ii) Assisting a senior with other every day or physical tasks, such as cooking, dressing, paperwork, gardening, medication and bathing.

iii) Boosting the morale of the client.

iv) Keeping the clients comfortable and happy all times.

v) Travelling to client’s place to carry out your duties, during the day, evenings, weekends or split shifts.

vi) Guiding your assistants.

• How to Get Qualified? Courses or Training?

So you must have understood the roles and traits of an aged carer. Right?

Let’s move further to know about the qualifications to become an aged carer.

Well, there are two ways to choose from to get qualified.

The first one is to opt for aged care courses. These courses generally cover all topics related to geriatric care.

The other way is to undergo training that can be done while you study. You can get hands-on training or on-the-job training.

• Choose Aged Care Courses:

 Many institutes in Australia provide courses in aged care. The good thing is that most of them offer online aged care courses in various certification levels. With online courses, you can study at the comfort of your home.

Here Are Some Best Online Aged Care Courses to Choose From:

1. Certification III:

The Certificate III is designed for the beginners to equip them with the necessary skills and knowledge for this career. This course prepares them to work in aged care facilities, nursing homes and assisted living. In a nutshell, this course is for those aspirants who have no experience in aged care. However, it can also be beneficial for those who are already working in aged care without any formal qualification.

The potential career outcomes with this course are Assistant in Nursing, Personal Support Assistant, Residential Support Worker, Residential Care Worker and Aged Care Worker.

2. Certification IV in Ageing Support:

Certification IV is an advanced level course in aged care and trains on several key points such as examining the needs of aged adults, planning, administrative work, leading a team and monitoring policies and procedures.

After completing the course, you can apply to work as an aged care activity worker, care service team leader, community program coordinator, support worker, care supervisor, personal carer, and personal care assistant.

• Determine What You Want to Become:

Well, you want to become an aged carer. Right?

But keep in mind that it “aged carer” is generally an umbrella term being used for the range of career choices in aged care. Here are some of them:

• Aged care worker generally provides supports at the client’s place. They help clients with daily activities, including bathing, grooming, cooking and medication.
• Residential Support Aged Carers are required in care facilities where they look after the person with disabilities and health conditions.
• Community Support Aged Carers take care of people in nursing homes, daycare and assisted living. Besides assisting them with daily tasks, you are also required to motivate them for community programs and outings.

You can start as a basic aged care worker and then advance by learning as much as you can and playing more roles. And advanced level courses are one way to do that. You can also become a freelancer or starting your home care agency for the elderly.

 

•  Enhance Your Aged Care Resume

Once you are done with the aged care courses, you can choose any career choices in aged care based on your qualifications. However, it is important to work over your resume. Make sure highlight caring attitude, good communication skills and a very basic medical knowledge in your resume. Also, mention your work experience if you have any. Get prepared for the basic job interview questions that generally include your introduction, work ethics, your objective, strengths and weakness, unique quality, and ability to handle challenging situations.

Conclusion:

So you must have understood how to pursue your career as an aged carer. Working with aged adults can be satisfactory, rewarding and meaningful, as you play an important role in improving quality of life. Ager care professionals help elderly people by assisting them with daily activities and personal tasks, including eating, medication, showering, grooming, cooking and dressing.

While ager care is a rewarding and gratifying career, you should be supporting, positive, dedicated and caring to provide efficient support to your clients. It is the profession where you serve people. And getting qualified through certifications is equally important. There are many online aged care courses to choose from.

What do you think? Let us know what you think!

Best of luck for your prosperous career in aged care!