By Babatope Opeyemi

In many parts of the world, caregiving is wrongly seen as a job for the uneducated or the unskilled, something anyone can do without preparation or training. But this outdated perception is not only misleading; it is deeply harmful to those who give and receive care. Care work is skilled work, and those who perform it with training, empathy, and dedication are essential pillars of a humane and healthy society.

As the founder of Magdalene Professional Caregivers, I am not just committed to training caregivers, I am fiercely passionate about ensuring that our elderly are cared for by qualified, professional, and compassionate hands. To me, caregiving is not a hustle or a plan B. It is a calling. One that deserves respect, structure, and proper recognition.

Over the years, I have trained many caregivers who are now supporting families here in Nigeria and even abroad. But more than training, I carry a personal burden to raise the standard of elderly care in our communities. Our elderly deserve more than just “someone to be around.” They deserve to be seen, understood, and assisted with dignity, especially in the comfort of their own homes.

Recently, I was featured on BBC Yoruba, where I had the opportunity to speak on the importance of qualified caregiving and the role it plays in national development. The response was overwhelming. People messaged me to say they never knew caregiving was a real career. Some said they’d been looking for professional caregivers but couldn’t find any they could trust. That confirmed to me: we need to tell a new story.

Around the world, especially in countries like Canada, the UK, and Germany, there is an increasing demand for home care workers. As their populations age, they are desperately looking for people who are trained, reliable, and ready to provide person-centred elderly care. And here in Africa, we have the numbers and the heart, but what’s missing is training, recognition, and structure.

That’s why at Magdalene Professional Caregivers, we don’t just teach vital signs and bathing techniques. We emphasize communication, ethics, dementia support, cultural sensitivity, and end-of-life care. We equip our caregivers not just to work, but to thrive, to represent the best of Africa on the global stage.

However, changing the perception of care work isn’t just about the workers. It’s about how families, governments, and the media treat it. Families must stop seeing caregivers as glorified house helps. The government must begin to invest in caregiver development the same way it invests in health and education. And the media must help reshape public opinion by showing the real skill and sacrifice behind caregiving.

This work can change lives. Not just for the elderly who receive better care, but for the caregivers themselves who discover purpose, build careers, and even travel abroad through this path. I have seen it happen. And I believe we are just getting started.

Care work is not low work. It is not easy work. It is skilled work. Noble work. Work that demands the best of our humanity.

Let us shift the mindset. Let us honor our elders with proper care. Let us give caregivers the tools, the training, and the respect they deserve.

And if we do this, here in Nigeria and across Africa, we won’t just fill a global gap. We’ll lead the world in compassionate, professional caregiving.

Babatope Opeyemi is the founder of Magdalene Professional Caregivers, a Lagos-based agency focused on training qualified caregivers and advocating for dignified elderly care across Nigeria and beyond. She was recently featured on BBC Yoruba for her work in professionalizing care work.