Private duty homecare is one of the fastest growing industries as the population of older adults continues to rapidly grow. In 2018, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that older people are projected to outnumber children for the first time in U.S. history.
Joel Denney is a CareBuilders at Home franchisee based in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, and ended up having to double the number of caregivers on staff to nearly 70 because of COVID-19. And within that group of employees, learning how to manage the spectrum of emotions has been a challenge, he said.
“One of the biggest things we learned is how to help caregivers be aware of their actions because most people that end up with COVID don’t get it on the job,” Denney said. “They get it because they were off the job not thinking about COVID … taking safety actions can help a lot and reduce risks.”
Having conversations with each caregiver about their comfortability in providing services to COVID-positive patients was key, Denney said. With their employees ranging in age from early 20s to 60s, it became important to understand if someone had a health or family situation that prevented them from working with clients.
