What is a home care aide? What does a home care aide do? We’ll answer these questions for you in today’s blog!
Providing Home Care Assistance
A home care aide helps care for the basic needs of individuals who can’t fully take care of these needs themselves. They often work closely with family members in determining what level of care is needed by the individual being attended.
Working for an agency, home care aides can expect to fulfill a variety of duties in any given week. They may work with several different clients or just full-time with one. Tasks completed may vary daily; one day, the focus may be on helping a client with bathing, grooming, and light household chores, while another day it could be running errands with the client.
It’s all about meeting each person’s needs (and they will differ from one household to the next) in order to help with basic tasks and foster a higher quality of life!
Specialized Training Is Involved
In order for home care aides to be able to handle specific tasks reliably, they need specialized training. This may include the following:
- Transferring a client to and from a bed, a chair, or a bathtub
- Assisting a client with walking and moving about, with or without medical devices such as crutches, a walker, a cane, or a wheelchair
- Engaging clients in conversation in a pleasant, friendly, respectful, and professional manner
- Preparing and serving meals that the client can eat; this may include learning about specific dietary requirements
- Assisting clients with basic grooming and dressing
- Learning how to best meet the needs of the population segments being served
What Does It Take To Be A Good Home Care Aide?
There are several qualities and attributes that work favorably in this field. Home care aides need to think on their feet, since they must be ready for whatever job needs to be taken care of first (being flexible is definitely a plus).
They have to be good troubleshooters to determine what a client needs or is requesting, especially if any communication challenges are present. It helps to be able to remain calm and cheerful in different settings, and being able to follow instructions provided by the client, the agency, and family members is paramount.
The Value That They Bring
The true value that home care aides bring to the clients and families they serve is the independence that they enable a senior to maintain. For individuals who want to remain in their own homes as they age, home care assistance is an empowering option.
And for the families who would like to do more for an older relative, but who cannot, being able to depend on a skilled home care aide offers peace of mind.
To Learn More
Whether you’re looking for a qualified, reliable home care aide to help you or your loved one with personal care needs, or you’re interested in learning more about this career and how to enter this field, get in touch with Collier Home Care. We will be happy to address your questions. Get in touch with us today!