Geriatric care – not a day like the next

Exciting variety and fulfilling moments in everyday life! Discover the diverse tasks in the Elderly Care. Experience how you can enrich the day of seniors and provide valuable support at the same time.

Care for the elderly is much more than just a profession - it is a deeply human task that combines heart, knowledge and responsibility. Whether you're a budding nurse looking to get started or an experienced caregiver wanting to brush up on your knowledge: This basic knowledge is the key to enabling older people to lead a dignified, self-determined life. In this article, you will learn everything you need to know about the basic principles of elderly care - from the theoretical background to practical care steps and the legal framework. Let's build a bridge between theory and practice together - so that care becomes not just a task, but also a fulfilling encounter.

The job description in geriatric care

Fun, sensitivity and patience - these qualities are characteristic of the profession of geriatric nurse. In today's article, we would like to take a closer look at the job description as part of our series. Other articles in this series already cover the topics of Childcare as well as the care of people with disabilities.

As a geriatric nurse, you look after all those in need of care at an advanced age, be it in their own four walls, in a retirement home or in hospitals. You accompany and support the elderly, respond to all their needs - both physical and psychological - and thus make it easier for them to cope with their everyday lives. "Elderly care includes the care, support and nursing of older people with the aim of maintaining their independence and quality of life." (Source: DocCheck Flexikon, Altenpflege). It is a responsible task that requires not only professional knowledge but above all empathy and humanity (Source: Altenpflege Heute, Ursula M. Borgiel).

Qualification and training for the geriatric nursing profession

As in any social profession, or professional fields that involve care, there is no getting around one particular quality: enjoying working with people is a must. If you have this, you have already ticked off an important point on your list of qualifications. Together with resilience, patience and a high sense of responsibility, this forms the foundation for a suitable geriatric nurse.

Of course, you also need to complete training courses to ensure that you are suitable for the job and can demonstrate this suitability in writing. In Austria, there is also an extra-occupational training course for nursing assistants, which takes just 2 years to complete.

In general, there are three different so-called qualification levels into which the corresponding training courses are divided. These are calculated on an hourly basis:

• The Homehelper / to home helper has a duration of 400 hours.
• In contrast, a specialist or social care worker:in required 2.400 hours for his training.
• Finally, you can gain in-depth qualifications to the extent of 3.600 hoursas a diploma and social care worker:acquire in.

These training courses in senior care can also be taken part-time - ideal if you want to combine practical experience in a care facility with theory lessons at a school and put your knowledge into practice straight away.

The diverse range of tasks in geriatric care

The tasks of a geriatric nurse can differ greatly from the usual nursing activities, as older people in particular need support with shopping, housework, eating or visits to the doctor. Elderly caregivers take the hurdles of everyday life off the shoulders of those in need of care and thus also a huge burden.

Alissa (26) is a trained kindergarten teacher - she loves working in a social environment and interacting with people on a daily basis. Alissa has spent the past four years looking after her 87-year-old grandmother before and after work. Making her breakfast and dinner every day and helping her with her errands was more of a pleasure than a chore for her.

Since her grandmother is now in a nursing home, she keeps thinking about all the elderly people who don't have it as good as she does. "There are so many lonely grannies and grandpas in the country whose families simply don't have the time to come by every day," she says, sadly. It was precisely this empathy for our elderly fellow human beings that prompted her to train as a geriatric nurse alongside her work. "It is an incredibly fulfilling feeling to regularly care for people in their homes and to realize that they are incredibly happy that you are there - and that you come back!"

Her training in childcare means that she constantly finds parallels: "In principle, the way we work is the same as with the little ones: you support, listen, encourage, pay attention to their needs. The main difference is that older people are simply alone a lot if they don't live in a retirement home. Children always have other children to play with and parents or even siblings at home." The fact that she plays an important role in the lives of many senior citizens fills her with pride. As a mobile geriatric carer, she now visits those in need of care in their own homes and provides them with meals, accompanies them to appointments, does their shopping for them and is simply there for them when they need it.

Typical tasks in basic care

Basic care includes basic activities that ensure the daily well-being and self-care of those in need of care. "Basic care includes all physical care measures that serve to maintain and restore health." (Source: Frohberg Verlag, Grundlagen der Altenpflege).

The nursing process in geriatric care

The maintenance process is a systematic process that ensures the individual planning, implementation and evaluation of care. This structured process is a core component of your work and ensures that care is customized and continuously improved.

Basic care vs. treatment care

As a geriatric nurse, you will be entrusted with different types of care measures. It is important to know the difference between basic care and treatment care:

Types of elderly care: Where you can work

Like Alissa, there are many self-employed, mobile care workers in the elderly care sector. In this case, it's easy to get started if you're already well networked. If this is not the case, you can quickly find advertisements from individuals looking for care on many platforms. As a mobile, self-employed carer, you come across new challenges and situations every day that can make your everyday life varied and exciting!

If you prefer not to do the acquisition yourself, you can turn to agencies both as a caregiver and as a care seeker. In addition to the ideal, individual care planning, which should guarantee good care, there are also quality assurance checks that are carried out on an ongoing basis to ensure that there is an ideal match between the caregiver and the person in need of care. Being with a care agency has the additional advantage of always having a replacement available in the event of absence due to vacation or illness. You can find an overview as well as tips and tricks on how to tell a good agency from a bad one here.

In addition to the two categories that rely on the mobility of caregivers, there are also geriatric nurses in hospitals and in nursing homes for the elderly. These are referred to as inpatient facilities. The advantages of working in care facilities include a regulated, routine and precisely structured working day. There is a duty roster that you can follow and procedures in the facilities that you can adhere to. If you prefer not to plan your working day yourself and still want to dedicate yourself to the well-being of older people, you are in good hands here.

Legal principles of geriatric care

Care for the elderly is regulated by various laws and regulations in Germany and Austria. These set standards for the quality of care, the rights of those in need of care and the duties of care staff in order to ensure safety and transparency in care.

Motivation to work in geriatric care

Alissa tells us about her motivation:

"In the care of Seniors and seniors, no two days are the same. The work is varied, constantly challenging and allows me to keep developing. In addition, I have had so many wonderful, moving and enriching experiences that I have rarely experienced in my new job. You get to hear the life stories of absolutely fascinating people all the time. Helping the elderly and giving them the recognition they deserve is not something to be taken for granted and the gratitude you receive is heart-warming! Being the direct point of contact for someone's concerns and stresses can be challenging, but I really appreciate that about my job.".

Finding the right caregiver for the care seeker is our top priority. As you can see from Alissa's example, a lot of intuition, sensitivity and enjoyment of working with people is required, especially in geriatric care - but also patience and resilience.

Mobility is not a luxury - it is quality of life. And even if getting older is associated with challenges, this does not mean that movement, independence and participation have to be lost. It's great that there are so many carers out there who are dedicated to supporting others. Because every one of us is happy to have the support we need in old age from a caregiver - a caregiver that you not only let into your life, but also take into your heart!

noracares is there for you. Our experienced care consultants will help you find the right solution - with heart, expertise and an open ear. noracares is a platform where caregivers can find suitable jobs and speak directly to families to find the right solution for their Relatives to care. Families can find the caregivers they need here. We support caregivers in using their skills and offer families transparent and fair conditions. This is exactly the kind of caregiver you will find at noracares.

You are not alone. Many people have been exactly where you are today - and have found the right path together with support. You can do it too.

• 24-hour-care: A form of home care in which a caregiver lives in the household of the person in need of care and looks after them around the clock.
• Acquisition: In the context of independent care, the acquisition of new clients.
• Altentenpflegegesetz (Österreich): Legal basis for the training and practice of geriatric nursing professions in Austria.
• Assessment: Technical term for the systematic assessment and recording of a patient's care needs and resources.
• Treatment care: Medical care measures that are carried out by qualified nursing staff in accordance with a doctor's order (e.g. administering medication, treating wounds, etc.).e.g. administration of medication, wound care).
• Professional training course: A training course that can be completed in parallel with a professional activity, often with block teaching or online phases.
• Supervisor:in (Fach- / Sozialbetreuer:in): A qualified professional in the social and care sector who provides support and care for people in various life situations.
• Diploma and social care worker:in:A higher qualified professional in Austria who has in-depth knowledge of nursing and social care.
• Evaluation: The final step in the care process, in which the effectiveness of the care is evaluated and the care plan is adjusted if necessary.
• Basic care:basic care measures that serve to ensure the daily needs of life (e.g. personal hygiene, nutrition, mobility) are met.e.g. personal hygiene, nutrition, mobility).
• Home helpers:in:A care assistant in Austria who primarily provides support in the household and with basic care.
• Heimaufenthaltsgesetz (Österreich): Regulates the rights and obligations of residents in nursing homes and the permissibility of restrictions on freedom.
• Hospitals (inpatient facilities): Medical facilities where patients are treated and cared for overnight or longer.
• Mobility in old age: The ability of older people to move around independently and safely and to participate in life.
• Care assistance (Austria):An apprenticeship in Austria that entitles the holder to carry out basic nursing activities.
• Pflegeberufegesetz (PflBG, Germany): law that regulates nursing training in Germany and has established a generalist nursing training system.
• Nursing process:A systematic, five-step framework for action in nursing (assessment, planning, implementation, evaluation, documentation).
• Care Insurance Act (SGB XI, Germany): Part of the Social Code in Germany that regulates long-term care insurance benefits.
• Inpatient facilities: Facilities such as nursing homes or hospitals where patients or residents are accommodated and cared for on a permanent or temporary basis.