The figure of the caregiver has gained great importance in recent times, thanks to the approval in December 2006 of what is popularly known as the Dependency Law. The care assistant is the person in charge of the care of an elderly dependent person, the one who allows this person to manage in their daily life despite their limitations.
What is the pathway to becoming a care assistant?
The Dependency Law mentioned above establishes the training required to practice as a professional caregiver. Thus, in order to perform this work in Spain it is an essential requirement to have a specific accreditation in Social and Health Care for Dependent Persons in Social Institutions, for which a training of 450 hours must be completed, which includes 80 hours of Training in Work Centers.
This accreditation can be obtained through an independent and exclusive course of those organized for this purpose by the various institutions, or by taking the Middle Grade Cycle of Technician in Socio-Sanitary Care of Vocational Training, where these modules are integrated and empowers graduates for this work among others.
What are the qualities needed to become a care assistant?
The work of a professional caregiver is a task with a strong vocational factor, as dealing with the dependent elderly people in your care will not always be straightforward. The care assistant must therefore bring together a number of qualities such as empathy, humanity, patience and perseverance.
While these qualities should already be an intrinsic part of the personality of any person who wishes to practice professionally as a care assistant, the aforementioned courses for accreditation provide students with the precise tools to deal with the most complicated situations they may face.
What are the missions of a care assistant?
The main mission of these professionals is to assist these dependent persons with the greatest possible respect, seeking at all times to safeguard their dignity, while respecting their values, customs and beliefs.
Their role must also be flexible and adaptable to the changing circumstances that they will have to face every day because the dependency of the person being cared for is complex and, as a general rule, progressive. The care assistant must therefore be able to be a reliable source of optimism, serving not only as a physical crutch for the dependent person, but also as a mental support to prevent him or her from succumbing to discouragement.
