When we talk about caregivers of the elderly, we can differentiate between a professional caregiver and a non-professional caregiver. The professional caregiver is one who has studied and/or is specialized in the care of elderly or dependent people and is under legal protection under a work regime, while the non-professional caregiver offers assistance without training qualifications, experience and, in most cases, their situation is not regulated.
The functions of a professional caregiver cover different fields; from the accompaniment, cleanliness and hygiene of the person you care for to their diet or medication control. In the same way, the functions of a non-professional caregiver also consist of accompanying the person and ensuring their cleanliness and hygiene, butWhat does the “professionalization” of the professional caregiver for the elderly recognize?
In Spain there has been an inversion of the demographic pyramid, since life expectancy has increased and birth rates have decreased. This has caused a considerable increase in the elderly and dependent population.
This is why it seems evident that there is an increase in professionals who provide the necessary care to these people. Professional caregivers of the elderly facilitate the basic tasks of life for elderly people and their families, carrying out both social and emotional assistance work.
Currently, the professionalization of the professional caregiver for the elderly is being favored. The professional caregiver must be subject to a stipulated contract between the dependent person and the caregiver.
In accordance with the labor requirements of the Workers’ Statute, this contract must be linked to an agreed schedule and the provision of certain services related to care, food, health care and hygiene. In this way, the professional caregiver guarantees care that family members cannot ensure or cannot make compatible in their daily lives.
The professionalization of the elderly caregiver provides and recognizes:
- Creation of new job opportunities.
- Increase in hiring, with the respective increase in contributions.
- A professionalized model, which helps ensure that the relatives of older people do not find themselves in the situation of carrying out tasks for which they lack the tools and knowledge.
- Aid and financial supplements that are included with the hiring of a professional caregiver.
- A certificate of professionalism that guarantees the skills and knowledge necessary to carry out your function.
Elderly caregiver compensation
The remuneration of a caregiver for the elderly can present different variations depending on whether it is a professional caregiver or a non-professional caregiver, the number of hours requested, their hours, the requirements of the person to be cared for…
Non-professional caregiver, what does the Dependency Law say?
The Dependency Law, Law 39/2006 of December 14, recognizes theright to receive payment for the care of a family member. That is, the financial benefit to help non-professional caregivers.
This law aims to ensure the care of all people in a situation of dependency, offering a set of benefits and services that guarantee the care of older people.
3 degrees of dependency are established:
– Moderate dependency: punctual assistance in completing tasks
– Severe dependency: help in carrying out the tasks of daily life, but who do not require the constant help of a caregiver
– Great dependence: includes all those people who have completely lost physical, mental and sensory autonomy and who, therefore, need the constant help of a caregiver
The requirements to receive this help are:
Employee requirements:
- Have Spanish nationality and reside in Spain for a period of no less than 5 years
- Degree of dependency and economic capacity of the person served
- Being cared for by a professional caregiver for a year
Non-professional caregiver requirements:
- Living with the dependent person in the same home, except if the dependent person does not have housing with resources that make care possible.
- In this case, the non-professional caregiver must reside in the same municipality as the dependent person or in a neighboring one for a period of time greater than one year from the date the application is submitted.
- The non-professional caregiver must prove full physical and mental faculties to be able to carry out, on their own, all the tasks of caring for the elderly.
- Promote access to social services related to Public Administrations.
- Be responsible for schedules, tasks and care based on the established degree of dependency.
Professional caregiver salary
The salary of a professional caregiver has increased to match the salary of most labor agreements, due to the increase in the Minimum Wage. The professionalization of this service has contributed to an improvement in its conditions, since it had always been a sector that was very economically punished and locked in the underground economy, since before its professionalization, remuneration was not established according to legal parameters.
We fight for the recognition of the sector and its professionalization to guarantee the working conditions of professional caregivers, but also with the purpose of maintaining quality standards with respect to families.
