Cultus
If you’re looking to get more out of your 9-to-5 job — and you think that helping older people would be a great way to spend your time — you may be a perfect fit for aged care training!
What exactly would you do?
As an aged care worker, you would work in a special facility or even in someone’s personal home. Either way, you’d be responsible for providing everything from basic care, like helping with bathing and going to the bathroom, to helping senior citizens run their errands, get exercise, and handle their other daily activities. You would also offer emotional support. After all, many aged citizens don’t have a shoulder to lean on!
Some aged citizens only need a little bit of help, while others need a professional to take care of everything. You may need to lift people out of bed (luckily, there are special hoists and lifting machines that can make this easier!), so you’ll need to have some physical strength. You’ll also need to be able to work long hours on your feet, just like a nurse would.
Your duties may change from day to day, or from patient to patient. So, above all else, you need to be ready for the unexpected and willing to lend a hand wherever it’s needed!
How do you get a job in this industry?
You’ll need to start by getting special aged care training. Specifically, you’ll need either a Certificate III or a Certificate IV in Aged Care.
What does that mean?
Certificate III aged care training will teach you how to work with people who suffer from dementia, provide first aid, and take all of the necessary safety steps to ensure that your patients can maintain their independence as much as possible.
Certificate IV aged care training is more advanced. Since these classes skip all of the basics, in order to qualify for a training program, you’ll need to have already taken Certificate III training or have prior experience in the aged care industry. Once you finish your Certificate IV training, you’ll be able to assess patients’ needs, make a plan to best serve each individual patient, and take care of all of the administrative work that goes along with working in an aged care facility.
Once you get through the training, are there plenty of aged care employment opportunities? – Absolutely!
Australia’s population is getting older by the year. To give you an idea of just how fast Australians are aging, the country’s median age back in 1901 was 22. Right now, the median age is 37. By 2050, it is expected to be 42. As a result, there are plenty of people out there who need help from aged care professionals. So, once you take all of the necessary courses, you shouldn’t have any trouble finding a job!
Making things even better on the aged care career front, you’ll make more money working in this industry today than you would have a few years ago. That’s because the Australian government approved a measure in 2013 that will give aged care professionals a raise. Government officials estimate that, over a four-year span, aged care workers will make 18.7% more money!
Of course, the money is only part of the reward you’ll get by going through aged care training. At the end of every work day, you’ll know that you’re helping people to keep their dignity and as much of their independence as possible. It’s a great feeling that you’d be hard-pressed to find anywhere else!
Author’s bio: Grace West is a creative writer studying Business and Marketing, who is looking to break into the corporate copywriting space once he graduates and hopefully go on to eventually someday write a book around her other passions, finance, accounting, insurance and travel.