Study of Caregivers’ Skills for Monitoring Senior Residents

As of September, 2015, the Japanese population over 65-years old was found to be aging at a rate of 25.0 %. The results determined that the rate of aging for this sector of the Japanese population makes Japan one of the most aged societies in the world. As the aging population continues to increase in size, we anticipate that more nursing will be necessary to accommodate the future needs of seniors. Due to the complex nature and challenging field of senior care, nursing homes experience high employee turnover rates. The shortage of skillful employees is problematic, so the option of training employees without a nursing background may be an integral part of the solution. The least favorite part of nursing care among nursing-home workers is monitoring or keeping an eye on the senior residents. Caregivers are required to keep the care receivers safe, engage them in conversation, help them maintain a healthy state of mind – all while carrying out their designated routine. They have to constantly stay alert so that the elderly don’t make sudden movements that make them lose their balance and fall, choke on their meals, fight with other elderly residents, or wander out of the caregivers’ field of vision. There is no manual on how to best monitor the elderly. There are no pointers that come with photos – as in transfer techniques – when it comes to taking care of the elderly. Because one does not have access to visual or audio demonstrations during classes on nursing care, students who specialize in nursing care have to learn on the job. The comfort level of the elderly is largely determined by the quality of the caregivers’ monitoring skill, how they use their voices and how they relate to their care receivers. The difference in experience between a skilled and a unskilled caregiver can mean the difference in the number of accidents.