algrim.

co

18 Caregiver Interview
Questions & Sample
Answers
1.

2.

3.

0 seconds of 42 secondsVolume 0%

HO M E • INT ER V IEW Q U ES T IO NS • LAS T U P DAT E: 2020 -12-19

Inside this article

1. Common Caregiver Interview Questions and Answers

2. Qualities and Skills of a Caregiver
3. Caregiver Interview Tips
4. Preparation Resources
Get the best caregiver interview questions. A caregiver is a paid or
unpaid individual who assists those with disabilities or the elderly
with their daily activities and daily living. A caregiver is an informal
professional, choosing to take on the individual's responsibility in
need (a “patient”). This professional provides direct care and assists
with grooming, dressing, toileting, and exercising the person in
need.

A caregiver is often a family member or paid helper who regularly

looks after a child or person in need. This includes children with
disabilities (special needs), the elderly with hospice care needs, and
other qualifying medical factors. Interview questions get asked for
a paid helper or care provider to qualify them for overseeing a
child's personal care or older adults. The paid caregiver may come
from a home care services provider or home care agency.

The caregiver sometimes gets referred to as a family caregiver or

senior caregiver. A paid prospective caregiver can get hired by a
family in need or directly by an agency that places paid caregivers
inside of homes. A group interview format may get utilized by a
family in need who is hiring for the caregiver job directly.

Common Caregiver Interview Questions

and Answers
When interviewing a potential caregiver, each interview question
should be asked to ensure a qualified caregiver is getting hired for
the job:

• What do you feel the act of “caregiving” is?

• How do you assist those with dementia?
• How do you assist those with Alzheimer's disease?
• Tell me about your previous personal caregiver experience.
• Tell me about a time you worked with an elderly client as a
senior caregiver.
 • How do you work with the loved ones of your patients?
• How do you handle time off as a caregiver?
• Tell me about a time you got involved in a difficult situation
while employed in the caregiver role.

These questions may get asked by the interviewer to help find the
“right caregiver” for the family in need. Below are common
interview questions and sample answers. Depending on the
interview process, these questions may get asked in a phone
interview or in-person interview for the job. Behavioral questions
should get asked; these are questions that begin with” Tell me
about” or “Tell me about a time.” These questions can help judge a
candidate’s core competencies and future job performance of the
applicant.

1. What do you feel the act of “caregiving” is?

Sample answer: The act of caregiving is aware of the patient and
their needs. This includes having a healthy routine of daily personal
care needs that are getting addressed. And more optimistic goals
like exercise, stretching, or other physical activities that increase
blood flow.

2. How do you assist those with dementia?

Sample answer: Patients with dementia can be difficult. They
require a healthy amount of patience and compassion. Daily
activities may need to change based on the severity of dementia
that day. Plans may need to get adjusted to account for progress.
And ensure a comfortable environment for the patient is getting
provided. We don’t want to put the patient into stressful situations
or scenarios.

3. How do you assist those with Alzheimer's disease?

Sample answer: Similarly to handling patients with dementia, we
want to be cognitive of the progress of that day. We don’t want to
be triggering emotional responses on days when the patient isn’t
comfortable. Addressing progress in real-time is key to assisting
those with Alzheimer’s.

4. Tell me about your previous personal caregiver

experience.
Sample answer: I’ve assisted three families in the past with senior
care needs. All of which were suffering from multiple issues and
ailments. The family needed to be a core part of the caregiving
experience. Ensuring that they were aware of their loved one’s
progress and informed or part of making the decisions. It’s a family
experience, and that’s how I like to treat caregiving.
5. Tell me about a time you worked with an elderly
client as a senior caregiver.
Sample answer: Ruth was a patient of mine in the past. She was
suffering from multiple cancers in the body. It was a difficult
experience. But required attentiveness and working closely with the
family to make sure that she was comfortable during her end-of-
life experience. I had a deep emotional connection with Ruth; we
talked regularly, told stories, and became friends.

6. How do you work with the loved ones of your

patients?
Sample answer: The family needs to be part of the process. They
need to get informed of progress regularly, various activities
getting done, and general caregiving. It can be helpful to include
group text messages and pictures that show the care provided.

7. How do you handle time off as a caregiver?

Sample answer: Time-off can occur. I like to make sure we have
access to respite care, which is short-term assistance for the
caregiver if I’m unavailable.
8. Tell me about a time you got involved in a difficult
situation while employed in the caregiver role.
Sample answer: Ruth was suffering from an acute issue, and I was
unsure if she required emergency care or not. I was waiting
patiently for her to make a change in her behavior. But when I
realized that she needed emergency assistance, I called 9-1-1
immediately. This was a difficult situation. And because I felt like
the symptoms of Ruth’s issues were mild. But it just happened to
be that Ruth was calming the symptoms herself.

9. What are ADL's or Activities of Daily Living?

Sample answer: ADL's are followed procedures as it relates to a
patient's required daily living standards. This could be hygiene,
cooking, cleaning, washing dishes, laundry, cleaning a room, or
changing bedsheets. And changing bedpans or assisting with
regular living activities, including exercise and mobility movements.
ADL's are important because they allow caregivers to understand
and have a checklist for providing the most optimal care. Care and
support to the patient, elder, or those in need.

10. Why are ADL's (or Activities of Daily Living)

important?
Sample answer: Because it allows us to have a comprehensive
understanding of what the patient requires on a daily or regular
basis. This can be helpful when the patient is still able and can
provide themselves some support. As a caregiver, when I arrive, I
can go through the ADL checklist. And understand what needs to
get accomplished. Or what might need to get taken care of to
provide the patient with the best amount of care possible.

11. In an emergency, what procedures would get

followed?
Sample answer: Before working with a patient, I like to understand
the patient's needs, issues, ailments, diseases, and more. It's best to
understand how emergencies should get handled. This can be a
written procedure list from the family or the provider. And then, in
emergencies, attempt to follow the procedure list the best we can.

12. Is dieting important in the role of a caregiver?

Sample answer: Yes. Diet is essential. And ties into the cooking
requirements of the position. A proper diet can be a "prescribed"
way of treating the patient on behalf of the patient's practitioner,
general physician, pediatric doctor. Before working with any new
patient, I try to understand what's required of diet and then plan
grocery shopping, cooking, meals, and more regularly.
13. How would you maintain a client or patient's
records?
Sample answer: It's important to log all activities, vital signs, and
medications that were administered. Or any situations where the
patient showed changing signs of health. From here, we can review
those situations and determine how severe they are. After that, we
can consult the working physician or pediatric doctor about the
issue and remedy the situation. Keeping a close record of all
activities and vital signs is incredibly important in the caregiver
role.

14. How reliable is transportation?

Sample answer: Transporation is reliable on my end. And I
understand why this question is asked. I must arrive at the
resident's household on time and transport the patient to their
required destination. I have a larger vehicle that can facilitate those
who have disabilities. And have a valid state driver's license with a
clean driving record.

15. Are you comfortable working unique hours?

Sample answer: Yes, I'm comfortable with that. As a previous
caregiver, I understood that the patient might require assistance at
all times of the day. There is no exact "routine," unfortunately,
especially with patients who are suffering from acute issues or
chronic ailments. I'm comfortable having a flexible working
schedule both in the week and on the day. That includes working
late hours if necessary. Or be available to the patient on Sunday's
or weekend days.

16. When are you available to start working?

Sample answer: I'm available to start working immediately. I'd like
to understand the patient's issues, meet with the patient, and
ensure that they're comfortable with me. This includes providing a
formal introduction and learning about them. From there, I'd like to
be able to begin working with them.

17. Are you comfortable with pets or animals in the

home?
Sample answer: Absolutely. I can include the pet as part of the
ADL's. And ensure that the pet is walked, taken care of, fed, and
groomed. And that food is being purchased for the animal. I
understand that animals in the home can often add a therapeutic
nature to the living situation that makes them feel comfortable.
This is a great benefit, in my opinion.
18. How do you handle a patient who is angry,
stubborn, or fearful?
Sample answer: This is the reason why it's essential to establish a
close connection with the patient. And establish trust. Without it,
the activities and daily living standards can be challenged and can
become cumbersome. Situations where the patient no longer
wants to attend the physician's office, for example. It's
understandable. These situations need to be handled with
patience, care, ease, and support. But again, establishing trust with
the patient early on is very important and pivotal to the caregiver
role.

Qualities and Skills of a Caregiver

• Compassion. A caregiver will be working with disabled
individuals or the elderly. Compassion is a strong requirement
to excel in this role.
• Patience. Similar to compassion. A great caregiver is
someone who is able to understand there may be changes to
plans and a need to be patient about progress.
• Attentiveness. Paying close to attention to changing
elements, changing needs, and emotional or physical
damages can be important for a caregiver.
 • Dependability. A caregiver is often required in-home.
Dependability is important because the patient depends on
the caregiver.
• Trustworthiness. Trust between the caregiver and the
patient is critical.
• Adaptability. Being adaptable to changing environments,
changing conditions, and being motivated by needing to
approach new problems with new solutions.
• Critical-Thinking. The ability to “think on your feet” is critical
for a professional caregiver.

Caregiver Interview Tips

Tips for those seeking to become a caregiver.

Explain qualities that make "you" great

Qualities and traits in a caregiver are essential. Trust is being
established between the provider and the patient. It's best to
explain what qualities are important to the caregiver role when
interviewing for a caregiver position. Also, using previous caregiver
experience to recite those qualities.

Focus on these top qualities in a caregiver:

• Passion
• Engagement
 • Trust
• Motivation
• Reliability
• Honesty
• Flexibility
• Patience
• Kindness
• Sincerity

Focus on work history

A person's background can be essential in this role. Whether it's a
previous nursing position or physical therapy position, there may
be alignment between a prior job and the caregiver role. Think of
prior work situations where patience, honesty, and reliability were
pivotal to the job function.

Share how skills, values, and abilities played a significant part in

ensuring the job function's performance. From there, alignment to
the caregiver role and job function can be made. This is beneficial
for those who may have no previous caregiver experience.

For more information please visit the U.S. Bureau of Labor

Statistics.
Preparation Resources
The best job interview preparation resources.

• Interview Preparation Basics by Carnegie Mellon University

• Mock Interview Questions by the University of Northern
Colorado
• Preparing for an Interview by Miami University

Interview Question and Answer Guide (PDF)

Download our full interview preparation guide. Complete with common
interview questions and example answers. Free download. No email required.

Download PDF
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Patrick Algrim is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW), NCDA Certified Career
Counselor (CCC), and general career expert. Patrick has completed the NACE Coaching
Certification Program (CCP). And has been published as a career expert
on Forbes, Glassdoor, American Express, Reader's
Digest, LiveCareer, Zety, Yahoo, Recruiter.com, SparkHire, SHRM.org, Process.st, FairyGodBoss, H
RCI.org, St. Edwards University, NC State University, IBTimes.com, Thrive
Global, TMCnet.com, Work It Daily, Workology, Career Guide, MyPerfectResume, College Career
Life, The HR Digest, WorkWise, Career Cast, Elite Staffing, Women in HR, All About
Careers, Upstart HR, The Street, Monster, The Ladders, Introvert Whisperer, and many more.
Find him on LinkedIn.
 Popular Resources

F EAT U R ED

35+ Phone Interview Questions & Best Sample Answers

Phone interviews have become a core part of the process when attempting to find a
secured placement for an open position. Companies receive massive responses from
potential candidates for any..
F EAT U R ED

12+ Best Questions To Ask A Recruiter

Concerning a job search, you might receive numerous offers from your recruiters. Before
you choose one, you need to assess all the conditions, for which it is vital that you know
everything associated with the offered position..
F EAT U R ED

Answering "What Makes You Unique" In A Job Interview

Answering this question during a job interview requires more than knowing why you are
unique as an individual. Yes, the true scientific answer is made up of two main
components: your..
F EAT U R ED

250+ Ice Breaker Questions for Life

An ice breaker question is a question that’s asked from one person to another person in
order to act as a conversation starter. It brings a connection...
F EAT U R ED

10 Best Answers to "What Motivates You?"

Open-ended questions like “What motivates you?” can elicit a deer-in-the-headlights
reaction from job candidates if they are unprepared. It’s a broad question and can leave the
interviewer..
F EAT U R ED

Answering "How Did You Hear About This Position" In An Interview

A lot of interviewers ask this question - how did you hear about this position? This way
they can judge you if you are a passive or an active job seeker..
F EAT U R ED

8 Best Thank You Emails After an Interview (Samples, Free Templates)

Writing a thank you note after an interview says a lot about you as a potential employee.
Most notably, it says that you care about the opportunities presented..
F EAT U R ED

Writing a Resignation Letter (How To Write It, Samples)

Writing the perfect letter of resignation is more of an art than it is a science. And we’re
going to cover how to master that art form in this full guide..
F EAT U R ED

How to End a Letter (Example Salutations, Sign Off's)

Knowing how to end a business note or email is an important skill to develop. It helps
portray a sense of confidence, respect and tone to your message..

Share
Help us by spreading the word
• Site
• RSS
• Home
• About
• Contact
• Resumes
• Careers
• Internships
• All Resources
• Cover Letters
• Job Descriptions
• Interview Questions

• Recent Resources
• Peppa Pig Height Facts (2022 Myth Busted)
• Home Depot Appliance Return Policy (2022 Guide)
• How to Send Book to Inmates (2022 Guide)

•
• How to Write a Post-Interview Thank You Email (2022)
• Example Bookkeeper Job Description for 2022
• Example Executive Assistant Job Description (2022)

© Copyright 2022, algrim.co - Terms & Conditions - Privacy Policy - Illustrations

AN ELITE CAFEMEDIA PUBLISHER