Elder Care is a service where you go to a customer's home and care for one person. You keep them company, help around the house, and help them stay independent. It is not a nursing job. You do not do medical work on an Elder Care booking.

👵 What Elder Care is

An Elder Care booking is for someone who needs help and company in their own home.

Most clients are older people. Some are recovering after an operation. Some have a carer who is away.

On a cleaning booking, the work is the house. On an Elder Care booking, the work is the person. The house still matters. But sitting and talking with the client is real work, not time wasted.

Example: Lindiwe finishes the laundry after 2 hours. Her client wants to talk about her grandchildren. Lindiwe sits and listens. This is part of the Elder Care booking.

📝 Who can apply for Elder Care

You need all of these:

• Probation complete. You have done 400 hours of indoor work.
• A Trust Score of 80 points or higher
• A star rating of 4.7 stars or higher
• One of these two:
  • A care certificate from Chilton, Alison, or Red Cross South Africa
  • 200 hours of practical training at an elder care facility

You need the certificate or the 200 hours. You do not need both.

You can see your Trust Score and your star rating in your app.

Example: Precious has a Red Cross South Africa certificate. Her star rating is 4.9 stars. Her Trust Score is 74 points. She cannot apply yet. She needs 80 points or higher.

Example: Zanele has no certificate. She did 200 hours of practical training at an old age home. Her Trust Score is 84 points and her rating is 4.8 stars. She can apply.

Your Trust Score and your star rating both go up over time when your bookings go well. 

🙋‍♀️ How do I apply?

1. Open your Worker App.
2. Go to New Service Applications.
3. Tap Apply for Elder Care.

You can also apply here: https://sweepsouth.com/worker/v2/help/new_request/apply_new_elder_skill

⏰ Before the visit

• Read the booking details. Check the client's name, the address, and any notes.
• Check which tasks the client chose, like meal prep or help with moving around.
• Check the start time and how long the booking is.
• Wear clean, neat, comfortable clothes — always dress professionally.
• Charge your phone.

A notebook helps if you like writing things down. It is not required.

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 When you arrive

1. Be calm and patient. Take a moment to see how the client is feeling.
   
    
2. Ask this even when there are notes: "Is there anything specific you'd like help with today?"
   
    
3. Ask for an emergency contact number at the start of every booking. Ask who to call if something goes wrong. Ask for their doctor's number too. Write both numbers down.

Do this at the beginning, while the client is well and can answer you.

Example: Thabo arrives for an Elder Care booking. He asks his client who he should call in an emergency. She gives him her daughter's number and her doctor's number. Thabo saves both in his phone before he starts.

⚠️ Please read: this is a guide, not training

The steps below are here to help you. They are not a first aid course. They are not a certificate and they are not a qualification.

Reading this guide does not make you trained in first aid. It cannot replace real first aid training. It cannot replace advice from a doctor or a nurse.

In an emergency, call the emergency contact number you took at the start of the booking. In a serious emergency, call 10111.

✨ What do I do on the day?

The client chooses what they need. The tasks show up in your app.

👫 Companionship

• Ask about their interests, their hobbies, or their life.
• Listen more than you speak.
• Play a game, go for a short walk if they can, or just sit and chat.

🍽️ Meals and cooking

• Ask about allergies before you cook anything. Ask if there are foods they cannot eat.
• Ask where the ingredients are. Ask what time they like to eat.
• Wash your hands before you cook. Clean the surfaces and tidy up afterwards.

💊 Medicine

• Your job is to remind. Giving medicine is not your job.
• Ask where the medicine is kept. Ask what time it is taken. Write it down.
• Ask if food is needed before the medicine.
• Remind them gently: "It's [time] – is it time for your [medication name]?"

These are not your job on an Elder Care booking:

• Putting medicine into their hand or their mouth
• Measuring out a dose
• Putting on creams, patches, eye drops, or an inhaler
• Injections
• Putting medicine into food or drink

A care certificate does not change this. If a client or a family member asks you to do any of these, you can say it is not part of Elder Care work.

Example: Sipho's client cannot open her pill bottle. She asks Sipho to put the pill in her mouth. Sipho says that is not part of his job. He asks if he can call her daughter instead.

If the medicine is running low, remind them to get a new prescription. Leave a note where they will see it, like on the fridge.

🧹 Light housekeeping

• Ask what help they need.
• You may be asked to change bed linen, do laundry, or wipe surfaces.
• Ask what to do with dirty linen or clothes before you take it anywhere.

🦿 Help with moving around

• Ask how they like to be helped. Everyone is different.
• Give steady support. Let them do as much as they can themselves.

Never lift or carry a client. Always ask before you touch a client.

Example: Nomsa's client wants to walk to the kitchen. Nomsa asks if she may hold her arm. The client says yes. Nomsa walks slowly next to her and holds her arm. The client walks on her own legs.

🚨 Emergencies

Your client may be frail. Things can go wrong quickly.

Call 10111 if your client will not wake up, cannot breathe, or is bleeding badly. Call straight away. Do not wait to see if it gets better.

If your client falls

• Do not lift them up.
• Ask them if they are hurt. Ask them not to move yet.
• If they are hurt, or they cannot get up, call 10111.
• If they are not hurt and they can get up themselves, let them do it slowly. You can steady them.
• Call the emergency contact number, even when they seem fine afterwards.

Example: Lindiwe's client trips in the kitchen. Lindiwe does not pick her up. She asks her if anything hurts. Her client says no and gets up slowly on her own. Lindiwe calls her son to tell him what happened.

If your client is confused or behaving in a way that worries you

• Stay calm. Do not argue with them.
• Keep them safe. Call the emergency contact number you took at the start of the booking.

If you feel unsafe

• Immediately tap on the booking in your app, tap the big red button “Need help with this booking?” > Tap “Help! Emergency” > Select “I do not feel safe, I need to leave”
• Leave. Your safety comes first.
• If you are in danger, call 10111.

👋 Ending the visit

• Ask if there is anything else they need before you go.
• Tell them if you are coming back, and when.
• Tidy up anything you used.
• Make sure they are safe and comfortable before you leave.

✨ Tips for success

• Always show respect and kindness. Clients may be older, slower, or more vulnerable.
• Be on time. It builds trust.
• Ask when you are not sure. The client knows their own home and their own routine. Nobody expects you to guess.
• Protect privacy. Never share client details with anyone.

Remember

• Elder Care is not a nursing job. You do not do medical work.
• You need 400 hours of indoor work, a Trust Score of 80 points or higher, and a star rating of 4.7 stars or higher.
• You need a care certificate or 200 hours of practical training. You do not need both.
• Ask for an emergency contact number at the start of every booking.
• You remind about medicine. You never give medicine.
• Never lift or carry a client. Always ask before you touch a client.
• Ask about allergies before you cook anything.
• If your client will not wake up, cannot breathe, or is bleeding badly, call 10111.