NourishCare Caregiver

Position Summary

SYNERGY HomeCare of Philadelphia is seeking compassionate, dependable, and detail-oriented caregivers to support clients enrolled in NourishCare, a home care program that combines trusted in-home caregiver support with weekly prepared meals.

The NourishCare Caregiver helps clients remain safe, comfortable, and well-supported at home while also assisting with meal setup, reminders, hydration encouragement, light housekeeping, companionship, and communication with family members and the care team.

This role is best suited for caregivers who are reliable, patient, organized, comfortable working with older adults, and attentive to changes in a client’s condition, appetite, mood, mobility, and home environment.

Key Responsibilities

Client care and companionship

• Provide warm, respectful companionship and emotional support.

• Assist with activities of daily living based on the client care plan.

• Support bathing, grooming, dressing, toileting, and mobility assistance when assigned.

• Provide standby assistance and fall-risk awareness.

• Encourage safe movement around the home.

• Support client routines, comfort, dignity, and independence.

NourishCare meal support

• Receive, organize, heat, plate, and serve meals according to the client’s care plan.

• Confirm meals are stored safely and handled appropriately.

• Encourage clients to eat and hydrate, without forcing or making medical nutrition claims.

• Observe and report concerns such as skipped meals, reduced appetite, swallowing concerns, nausea, confusion, or food refusal.

• Follow documented dietary preferences and restrictions.

• Keep the meal area clean before and after meals.

• Track meal-related notes as required by Synergy’s care documentation process.

Household support

• Perform light housekeeping related to the client’s care area.

• Wash dishes, wipe counters, remove trash, and keep meal areas tidy.

• Assist with laundry, linens, and light organization as assigned.

• Support safe home conditions by identifying and reporting hazards.

Client observation and reporting

• Monitor and report changes in the client’s physical, emotional, or cognitive condition.

• Document care activities accurately after each shift.

• Report missed meals, low food intake, falls, bruising, confusion, unusual fatigue, medication concerns, unsafe home conditions, or family concerns.

• Communicate promptly with the care coordinator when issues arise.

Family and care-team communication

• Maintain professional communication with family members.

• Provide clear shift updates when required.

• Protect client privacy and confidentiality.

• Escalate concerns through Synergy’s office team rather than making independent care-plan changes.

Required Experience

Minimum requirements:

• At least 3 years of caregiving, home care, senior care, assisted living, personal care, or family caregiving experience preferred.

• Experience working with older adults, people with mobility limitations, or individuals needing daily living support.

• Comfortable assisting with meals, hydration reminders, light housekeeping, and personal care.

• Ability to follow a written care plan and document completed tasks.

• Reliable transportation or dependable ability to travel to client homes in Philadelphia-area service zones.

• Ability to work recurring shifts consistently for 6-week care plans.

Preferred experience:

• Experience with dementia, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, stroke recovery, fall-risk clients, post-hospital recovery, or rehab-to-home transitions.

• Experience with meal preparation, food handling, or nutrition-support routines.

• Prior home care agency experience.

• Experience communicating with adult children or family caregivers.

• Weekend availability for clients needs.

Required Credentials and Compliance

For Pennsylvania home care agencies, direct care workers must meet agency competency and compliance requirements. Pennsylvania Department of Health guidance requires home care agencies to conduct criminal background checks, child abuse clearances when applicable, TB screens for direct care workers, and competency verification. Pennsylvania regulations also require direct care worker competency topics such as confidentiality, instrumental activities of daily living, infection control, universal precautions, emergencies, documentation, recognizing abuse or neglect, difficult behaviors, and, for personal care, bathing, grooming, transfers, meal preparation, feeding, and toileting.

Required or strongly recommended:

• Pennsylvania criminal background check.

• Child abuse clearance, if applicable based on client population and agency policy.

• TB screening.

• Eligibility to work in the United States.

• Valid government-issued ID.

• CPR and First Aid certification, or willingness to obtain.

• Completion of SYNERGY HomeCare onboarding, orientation, and competency evaluation.

• Completion of NourishCare-specific meal support training.

• Ability to pass reference checks.

• Valid driver’s license and reliable transportation preferred.

Preferred credentials:

• CNA, HHA, PCA, DCW, or equivalent caregiver training.

• Dementia care training.

• Food safety / safe meal handling training.

• CPR / First Aid certification.

• Experience with electronic visit verification or mobile care documentation.

Skills and Qualities Needed

The best NourishCare caregiver should be:

• Reliable and punctual.

• Warm, patient, and respectful.

• Comfortable preparing and serving meals.

• Observant about nutrition, hydration, safety, and mood changes.

• Able to follow instructions without overstepping the care plan.

• Comfortable communicating with families.

• Calm under pressure.

• Physically able to assist with transfers, mobility, light housekeeping, and standing/walking during shifts.

• Detail-oriented with documentation.

• Professional about privacy, boundaries, and client dignity.

Additional Notes

• Guaranteed minimum weekly hours for top performers.

• Weekend differential of +$1–$2/hour.

• Paid orientation and NourishCare meal-support training.

• Bonus after completing the first 6-week client care cycle.