Caregiver housekeeping is one of the main roles that in-home companions take on in the homes of their aging clients to ensure they live in tidy and clean homes. Physical, medical, and cognitive challenges can make it hard for seniors to keep up with home cleaning responsibilities.
This is where a caregiver and housekeeping services found at Serenity Home Care help. We provide care services to residents in communities in Beaverton, OR, and the surrounding area, including Multnomah, Clackamas, and Washington counties.
It’s essential for in-home companions to follow certain caregiver housekeeper duties to protect their clients and themselves from infection. In-home caregivers or companions are responsible for keeping their client’s homes well-maintained, but this doesn’t mean they are actual housekeepers. Having appropriate and clear expectations and guidelines in place from the beginning can help.
Suggested Caregiver Housekeeping Checklist
An appropriate caregiver housekeeper checklist will look something like this:
Laundry
If laundry becomes soiled with potentially infectious materials or body fluids, you’ll want to treat it as though it is contaminated. When doing your client’s laundry, you’ll want to wear gloves and wash their laundry in hot water and a detergent with bleach.
Dirty Dishes
Like with laundry, you’ll want to wash the dishes with hot soapy water. As an added disinfectant, you can soak dishes, utensils, and glassware in hot water with a very small amount of chlorine bleach for a minimum of one minute and rinse thoroughly with hot water. Then allow the dishes to air dry — don’t use a dish towel to dry dishes since it can harbor bacteria.
Kitchen Appliances and Work Surfaces
Clean and sanitize kitchen countertops, freezers, refrigerators, stoves, and other work surfaces. Wear gloves to protect your hands from the sanitizing solution. Be sure to check for warning statements and directions on the bleach label.
Bedpans and Commodes
Regularly clean bedpans and commodes. The recommended cleaning agents are hot water, soap, and a bleach solution.
Medical Equipment
You can easily spread germs by touching contaminated medical equipment. If you don’t wash your hands after coming in contact with medical equipment, you could potentially transmit germs to your clients. To help clean medical equipment and kill germs, you should clean and disinfect the equipment and wash your hands with warm water and soap regularly.
Certain medical equipment will come with specific cleaning instructions. It’s important that you follow these instructions precisely. This is because certain medical equipment, such as dehumidifiers and CPAP machines, can spread bacteria into the air if not cleaned properly. Breathing contaminated air can result in respiratory infection and asthma attacks.
Waste Disposal
Handle all disposable waste with care, including disposable cleaning items such as paper towels, tissue, and diapers. Wear disposable gloves when you handle these items and discard them promptly. Do not leave disposable waste lying around. All contaminated items and body wastes should be put into leak-proof containers and then placed into heavy-duty plastic bags that are sealed or tied before discarding. Be sure you label the bags as “contaminated items.” You’ll also need to follow local waste disposal regulations.
What is Considered Light Housekeeping for a Caregiver?
Light housekeeping for caregivers should be thought of as tasks that will provide your clients with better care. For instance, after you prepare your client’s meal, your client should be able to count on you to:
- Clear the table
- Wash the dishes or place them in the dishwasher
- Place the dishes back in the cupboard once they’re clean and dry
- Clean up the kitchen
Your clients should be able to count on fresh clothing and towels after their baths. Essentially, light housekeeping is generally limited to the living spaces your client uses such as their bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and living room. Within these areas, you would be expected to perform housekeeping tasks such as:
- Cleaning the kitchen and bathroom
- Sweeping and mopping the floors
- Changing the bed sheets
- Vacuuming carpets
- Washing and putting away the dishes
- Washing, drying, and folding laundry
- Taking out the trash
Having a checklist for typical caregiver housekeeper duties can help you stay organized and on task, so you can provide your clients with the best care possible.
Let Serenity Home Care Be Your Guide
The role of a caregiver or in-home companion is a rewarding one. At Serenity Home Care in Beaverton, OR, our committed team of caregivers proudly serve the aging individuals in our communities. Our staff is trained to assist our clients and provide them with the best care possible, including companionship and housekeeping tasks. We are a licensed comprehensive in-home care agency in Oregon that serves Washington, Multnomah, and Clackamas counties. Contact us to learn how to become an in-home caregiver or companion with Serenity Home Care today.
