caregiver

/ˈkɛrˌgɪvər/

/ˈkɛgɪvə/

Other forms: caregivers

Someone who takes care of a very young, elderly, or ill person is called a caregiver. If you make sure your ailing friend eats every day and is relatively comfortable, you are her caregiver.

Being a caregiver is sometimes a paying job — a home health aid and a nurse in a hospital both work as caregivers. When a family member is ill, you may become a temporary caregiver, bringing hot soup and warm blankets. In Britain, this person is called a carer. Both words come from the Old English carian, "to feel concern" and also "to grieve."

Definitions of caregiver

1. noun

   a person who is responsible for attending to the needs of a child or dependent adult
   type of:

   adult, grownup

   a fully developed person from maturity onward
2. noun

   a person who helps in identifying or preventing or treating illness or disability
   synonyms: PCP, health care provider, health professional, primary care provider

   types:

   bonesetter

   someone (not necessarily a licensed physician) who sets broken bones

   electrologist

   someone skilled in the use of electricity to remove moles or warts or hair roots

   medical assistant

   a person trained to assist medical professionals

   medical man, medical practitioner

   someone who practices medicine

   nurse

   one skilled in caring for young children or the sick (usually under the supervision of a physician)

   apothecary, chemist, druggist, pharmacist, pill pusher, pill roller

   a health professional trained in the art of preparing and dispensing drugs

   dental practitioner, dentist, tooth doctor

   a person qualified to practice dentistry

   Dr., MD, doc, doctor, medico, physician

   a licensed medical practitioner

   foster-nurse

   a nurse who raises another woman's child as her own

   graduate nurse, trained nurse

   someone who has completed the course of study (including hospital practice) at a nurses training school

   head nurse

   the person in charge of nursing in a medical institution

   inoculator, vaccinator

   a medical practitioner who inoculates people against diseases

   LPN, licensed practical nurse, practical nurse

   a nurse who has enough training to be licensed by a state to provide routine care for the sick

   matron

   a woman in charge of nursing in a medical institution or school

   medic, medical officer

   a medical practitioner in the armed forces

   accoucheuse, midwife

   a woman skilled in aiding the delivery of babies

   pharmaceutical chemist, pharmacologist

   someone trained in the science of drugs (their composition and uses and effects)

   probationer, student nurse

   a nurse in training who is undergoing a trial period

   RN, registered nurse

   a graduate nurse who has passed examinations for registration

   scrub nurse

   a nurse who helps a surgeon prepare for surgery

   visiting nurse

   a nurse who is paid to visit the sick in their homes

   type of:

   professional, professional person

   a person engaged in one of the learned professions