Have you experienced having a client who insists that you do the household chores for her when you are only there to provide her care because you are a caregiver? How do you handle such a circumstance? If you’ve been a caregiver for a long time now, you probably know already that you cannot just refuse such a request from your client because of the light housekeeping services your agency provides. However, it is important to know too that there are some limitations to doing chores for the senior. Before you know your limitations, you should clearly understand ‘light housekeeping’ itself, as a term, too.
So, what is light housekeeping? As a care provider, you must know that this is part of the homecare service the agency you are working for provides. This service is for the client and the area he frequently stays in and uses. Meaning, the most commonly used places where you can also do some light housekeeping are the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and the living room. Moreover, other than the areas, you should know too, the specific tasks under the light housekeeping services you are providing.
The Type of Light Housekeeping Services to Render
There are different types of services a lot of home care agencies provide today. The kind of service you are to render depends on the licensing which your agency has obtained. Nevertheless, it is light housekeeping that’s frequently misunderstood. Relatively, the misunderstanding typically comes from the fact that those in the field typically do not define housekeeping in their respective homes in degrees of light, medium and heavy.
More often than not, people tend to combine dusting furniture with the washing of the windows, then, consider both tasks in the housekeeping category. Alternatively, light housekeeping should be understood more, when it comes to tasks which a personal attendant completes. More so, the duties encompassing light housekeeping are those maintaining an orderly place of living, allowing an individual receiving the care to exist in a clean surrounding with peace of mind that daily tasks are accomplished for them. Among the most commonly done tasks in light housekeeping include:
- Loading/loading a dishwasher
- Sweeping the kitchen floor
- Cleaning kitchen countertops
Daily Tasks in the Light House Housekeeping Services
Aside from the common tasks mentioned above, there are daily tasks a caregiver can do as part of the light housekeeping the home care agency offers. These include:
Meal Preparation
A client, specifically, an elderly individual can depend on the fact there is someone who will clear away the dishes he needs for his every meal, wash and return them to the cupboard.
Bath Assistance
Seniors can rely on their caregiver as the latter prepares them for a bath. Additionally, the care provider can also assist his client after bath by simply fixing the bath towels, washing the clothes and hanging them up for drying or putting in the laundry.
Bathroom Cleaning
Aside from receiving help from the caregiver before, during and after a bath, the senior is sure to find comfort knowing the fact there is someone who will clean his bathroom including the mirrors, countertop, sinks, shower, toilet, and tub.
If a client asks you to water the plants, do not refuse or think what he is asking is already beyond your work scope as a caregiver. Essentially, if your agency agreed with the client to do light housekeeping, watering the plant is part of the tasks, too. Other responsibilities included are the following:
- Picking up of magazines, newspapers and all other clutters
- Watering of indoor plants
- The dusting of knickknacks and surfaces
- Sweeping and vacuuming of the main walk areas
- Emptying the trash
- Organizing closets, drawers, and shells
Which Tasks are Not Included in the Light Housekeeping Services?
Basically, light housekeeping means completing the particular tasks the client needs accomplishing and these include tidying up the areas he usually uses every day regularly. On the contrary, the following are no longer part of the light housekeeping services:
Heavy-duty cleaning tasks that need moving of heavy furniture
- Cleaning carpets
- Washing windows
- Scrubbing floors
- Outdoor chores like shoveling snow off the sidewalks
- Mowing the grass
- Raking
Be Our Care Partner
Now, with the given tasks included in, and excluded from the light housekeeping services most home care agencies offer, you will no longer be confused if next time, your client asks you to do some housekeeping tasks for him. If you want to be sure you are doing the right thing while on duty as a caregiver, join the growing family of compassionate caregivers of Innovative Homecare Solutions, Inc. We offer competitive compensation and we see to it that we are always in good partnership with all of our caregivers as we provide care and keep the seniors company as they age gracefully. Whether you are a caregiver looking for a new family to grow with career-wise, or a family member looking for full housekeeping services for his parents, you may call Innovative Homecare Solutions, Inc. at (630)225-0100. We guarantee to provide you with referrals to housekeeping services.
