Frail Care Assistant (Retirement Village)

Your care keeps residents at a private medical ward in Tembisa safe, clean and comfortable through the day. People who do well here are steady, honest and not scared to ask when something is unclear.

This post is in Tembisa (Gauteng). Please only apply if you can travel there daily. You'll start with a short induction before working on your own.

• Take and chart temperature, pulse, blood pressure and blood glucose
• Turn bed-bound patients on schedule and check pressure areas for early sores
• Help patients walk, transfer from bed to chair and do their exercises
• Follow infection control rules, including hand hygiene and safe sharps disposal
• Make beds, change linen and keep the rooms clean and uncluttered
• Do simple wound dressings and report anything that looks infected
• Hand out oral medication under the supervision of a registered nurse

• Physically strong enough to lift and move patients safely
• Able to work shifts, including nights and weekends
• Patient and gentle with elderly, frail or confused people
• At least 1 year of hands-on patient care
• Accredited home-based care or ancillary health care certificate for caregiver posts
• First aid Level 1 or BLS certificate

• A second South African language spoken by the patients you'll serve
• Dementia care or palliative care short course
• Code B or Code 8 driver's licence for home visits

• Overtime paid at time and a half
• Meals provided on shift at many frail care centres
• Paid training in dementia and end-of-life care
• Transport home after late shifts at some facilities

• Recruiters phone references for care jobs, so warn your references and check their numbers still work.
• Name the type of patients you've cared for, such as stroke patients or dementia residents, in your first CV line.