How To Become An Elderly Caregiver: What It Is and Career Path

What is an elderly caregiver and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Elderly caregivers take care of elderly people that can't look after themselves. They assist in personal care and provide emotional support to their clients. They also monitor and report changes in the health, behavior, and overall well-being of their clients, earning a sum of $16 per hour, which amounts to $32,000 per year.

Elderly caregivers are in direct contact with the elderly, and they provide companionship because feelings of loneliness in older adults can lead to serious health issues, including depression. Since the clients can not take care of themselves as such due to injury, mobility, or memory issues, the caregivers assist them with their activities of daily living.

Elderly caregivers are patient and warm toward their clients in a bid to create a positive environment and, as such, improve the overall well-being. They generally have a high school diploma, although a higher academic degree might prove beneficial. Most employers prefer to hire candidates with experience in the field and a willingness to work flexible hours.

ScoreElderly CaregiverUS Average

Salary

2.9

Avg. Salary $37,109

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

8.0

Growth Rate 36%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.16%

Asian 7.44%

Black or African American 10.33%

Hispanic or Latino 21.37%

Unknown 4.35%

White 55.34%

Gender

female 85.49%

male 14.51%

Age - 50

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 50

Stress Level

8.0

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

7.4

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

9.6

Work Life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an elderly caregiver

Explore elderly caregiver education requirements

Most common elderly caregiver degrees

High School Diploma

32.8 %

Bachelor's

24.1 %

Associate

19.6 %

Start to develop specific elderly caregiver skills

Skills	Percentages
Adaptive	23.35%
Oral Care	15.58%
Companionship	13.14%
CPR	9.15%
RUN Errands	7.55%

Gain additional elderly caregiver certifications

Elderly caregiver certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific elderly caregiver certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for elderly caregivers include Medical Assistant and Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA).

More About Certifications

Research elderly caregiver duties and responsibilities

Care include dressing, assisting with activities of daily living (ADL )
Assist w/bathing, personal hygiene laundry, housecleaning, ADL, and daily bed linen changing ....
Provide compassionate care to cognitively impair patients including but not limit to Alzheimer's patients and patients with dementia.
Help them build confidence providing companionship and conversation to have a normal lifestyle

Prepare your elderly caregiver resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your elderly caregiver resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an elderly caregiver resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Elderly Caregiver Resume templates

Build a professional Elderly Caregiver resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Elderly Caregiver resume.