Every year, Right at Home honours its caregivers with a Caregiver of the Year award. The prestigious award celebrates the accomplishments of a select group of caregivers who selflessly deliver extraordinary care to older Australians and adults with disabilities. 

Compassion, honesty, reliability, sensitivity. The top caregivers at Right at Home, one of the world's leading in-home care companies, emulate these qualities and more.

Top Qualities to Seek in a Professional Caregiver

When you're considering at-home care for a loved one, you want professional caregivers who are thoroughly trained and experienced, but there are a number of valued characteristics that go beyond job descriptions. What is the caregiver's personality and temperament? How does the caregiver connect with care clients? The following are exemplary qualities to look for in a caregiver.

Outstanding Character

A person's character is often a blend of their disposition, tone and style. For caregivers, character is modelled through compassion, understanding, sensitivity and caring. Edris Plummer emulates these traits and more in her work with Right at Home. One of Edris' clients is a 98-year-old woman who has no family. This past year, Edris stayed alongside her frail client during several hospitalizations. When the woman's heat went out at home for quite some time, Edris provided extra blankets to keep the senior warm. It's no wonder Edris has been described as "honest, reliable, trustworthy, very thoughtful, competent and professional."

Connects Well With People

Creating a winsome connection between caregiver and client is essential. A caregiver's devotion can create a ripple effect of influence, like Vickie Moore's work with Right at Home. Dawn, a client's daughter, applauds Vickie's impact on her somewhat disagreeable father. "Vickie has been wonderful to my dad," Dawn said. "He is a very difficult person to work with, and she is just so loving. My dad can't stop talking about how great a job she does and how she takes extra time to make sure he is well cared for."

Community Influencer

Caregivers who are passionate about their work naturally share their enthusiasm with others in the community. They volunteer to serve meals to the homeless or rebuild homes after disasters. Or they just sit a spell with a troubled neighbour. And many caregivers insist on finding time for the little extra things like making fresh-baked items for community events to raise funds on behalf of people diagnosed with Parkinson's, cancer and other diseases.

Strong Team Spirit

Everyone needs someone to cheer them on, especially when dutifully caring for a person's well-being. Top-rated caregivers are hearty morale boosters among their peers and often make it a mission to put others before themselves. No matter the hour or time of day, or how busy their schedule, the most exceptional caregivers look out for the interests and concerns of their co-workers.

Pursues Professional Development

A thirst for increasing one's skills is nothing new to the best caregivers like Vickie, who gains insights into delivering care through certification courses, continuing education classes and online training modules. Vickie also invests her time researching clients' particular illnesses and medical needs. Recently, Vickie took on a new client who has Friedreich's ataxia (FA), a rare form of cerebral palsy.

Vickie's passion for improving her professional knowledge with this new client earned her respect and applause from her Right at Home director. Vickie downloaded papers about FA off the internet to share with other caregivers on the case. A quest for developing professionally is contagious.

As top-rated Right at Home caregivers demonstrate, a comforting demeanour, likeable rapport and a love for learning are how you become one of the most remarkable caregivers in the world.

What qualities in a caregiver do you appreciate the most?

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Founded in 1995, Right at Home offers in-home companionship and personal care, and assistance to seniors (elderly and aged care), and any adult who needs our care at home including adults living with a disability who want to continue to live independently or age in their home. Right at Home is your local expert for issues related to caring for your loved ones and is dedicated to keeping you informed about home care. With no admin or subscription fees Right at Home allows you to get more care from your plan, package or budget.

Right at Home is a 'My Aged Care' government approved, home care provider for levels 1 – 4 and offers flexible in-home care services such as nursing care, after hospital care, post-operative care, respite care, dementia and Alzheimer's care. Right at Home also offers support and assistance with daily living and personal care such as grooming, hygiene, transport, shopping, meal prep, domestic services and social support, so your loved one can enjoy a more independent, vibrant life. Our nurses and caregivers are screened, highly trained, and insured prior to entering your home so you can trust us with the caregiving while you focus on your loved one.

To find out more, please give us a call on 1300 363 802 or visit our website.

Right at Home Offices in Australia: Sydney Lower North Shore; Sydney Upper North Shore; Sydney Central and Eastern Suburbs; Sydney Northern Beaches; Sydney North West; Sydney The Hills; Padstow St George; Macarthur Penrith; Newcastle; Hunter & Port Stephens; Southern NSW; Toowoomba- Darling Downs; Sunshine Coast and Gympie; Mackay; Central Queensland; Townsville; Far North Queensland; Gold Coast South; Gold Coast North; Northern Rivers; Brisbane Bayside; Brisbane South; Brisbane North; Brisbane West; Perth Midland; Perth Northern Suburbs; Perth West Coast: Kalgoorlie Wheatbelt; Moreton Bay Region; Sydney Inner West;