Caregiver in the US

ALTHOUGH the work is often misunderstood, working as a caregiver is really one of the noblest jobs in the US.

Some misinformed people look down on caregivers maybe because they do not know the love that is being put into the care of another person.

They also do not know that  an average caregiver earns anywhere from $120 to $150 a day or $3,600 to $4,500 a month.

In Philippine pesos that would be roughly PhP165,600 to PhP207,000 a month at the exchange rate of 46:1 without deductions.

What’s more, the caregiver pays no rent, no utility bills and meals are most of the time free.

With that income, a caregiver earns more than that of a bank manager in Cagayan de Oro. 

Not all caregivers earn that much.  The unlucky ones earn only $60 a day which is $1,800 a month or PhP82,000 pesos. 

That is still better than some Cagayan de Oro bank managers. The lucky caregivers earn as much as $300 a day or $9,000 a month. 

That would be something like PhP414,000 a month in pesos.

That’s the salary of a medium Philippine corporate president.

Just what is the job of a caregiver? It varies.

The lucky ones are called companions.

They are hired only to keep company.

The boss is usually an elderly who lives alone.  When the boss travels, the caregiver also travels.  Sometimes they go together to concerts and socials.

It should be noted that not all caregivers do that.

Most caregivers take care of the elderly and do light housekeeping, laundry and cook.  Cleaning the house is done with a vacuum cleaner.

Doing laundry is done by washer and dryer machines.  Washing dishes is by machine too.

Of course, some prefer to do it by hand.

The caregiver also gives prescribed medicine to the elderly.

For the bed-ridden patients, the caregiver assists in bathroom functions.

This is where it can be messy and looked down upon.

But if you earn so much, why not.  I know of a couple who paid off their house mortgage in the Philippines working as caregivers in New York.

The unlucky caregivers would be caring for a patient with dementia.

This is the most challenging because the patient has the mentality of a child and will scream at the caregiver with harsh and insulting words.

But the seasoned caregiver would not mind the insults because the caregiver knows that the patient has the mind of a child. 

In the US, children in general don’t live with their parents.  So the parents or surviving parent hires a caregiver.

Normally, being together for a long time,  the bond between caregiver and patient gets closer so much so that in some instances, the patient would leave properties and money to the caregiver. Those are rare instances though.

And that’s as far as I know about caregiving.