The Senior Care Job Guide: Senior Care Job Satisfaction and Success

You've successfully identified a career in which jobs are available, figured out how much to charge, excelled in an interview, and now received a job offer working directly for a family or facility. If you anticipate that you can work well with the elder you will care for, as well as with the senior's family, or with your supervisor and co-workers at a facility, and can satisfactorily perform all the job requirements and be comfortable with the employment conditions, you'll probably decide to take the job. If you do, and if it is a long-term position as opposed to just a few visits, here are some suggestions to make the job experience a positive one for both you and your employer:

• ask for a written contract that will specify expectations
• set up a communication schedule with your employer that will facilitate discussion of  how the job is going That way you can resolve any issues that come up and make sure the job meets your own needs, as well as your employer's.

Contract

The contract should include:

• a listing of exactly what you are expected to do and on what schedule
• provisions for sick or vacation days
• specification of how you will be paid, at what rate, and how often
• the hours you will work, and whether or not they will vary from week to week
• the length of employment -- is it one week, one month, one year, or does it depend on the health of the client?
• how much notice either party requires for rescheduling
• information about tax and health benefit payments
• what terms will be required to end the contract
• starting the job on a trial basis This will enable you and the employer to evaluate whether or not the job as planned after a set period of time and to terminate the contract, saving both parties a lot of hassle.
  

Communication

• Establish an agreed-upon process for communication.Do you prefer to communicate with your employer in person or by phone? Or with a mix of both? Set up a frequent (weekly, biweekly or monthly) communication schedule so that you can resolve any issues that arise before they escalate.
• Be sure you and your employer agree about job expectations and performance evaluations. The goal is for you to be comfortable on the job and for your employer to be comfortable with your performance.
• Have a protocol for emergencies that might arise.

Know what to do in case of emergencies and have a backup plan (and a backup to the backup plan), as well. These are crucial elements of any good relationship between a senior provider and employer.

Good communication is the key to any positive job experience. By communicating frequently with your employer, you should be able to work out a mutually acceptable plan to resolve any issues either of you have with the job --  creating a win-win situation in which you have job satisfaction and success and your client receives the desired level of care.