When You Need Help With Daily Life, Think About A Home Health Aide

Home health aides are dedicated people who provide routine care to those who are ill, impaired, disabled, or geriatric who cannot care for themselves in a complete capacity but live in their own home (rather than a care facility). Aides can assist or volunteer in hospices and programs during the day. They may also commute, go to work or do errands with the people for whom they provide care. Home health aides are typically utilized when an individual's care exceeds the limit that friends or family can provide, and in most cases, individuals are elderly, physically impaired or mentally disabled. The common use of home health aides is for longer care, however, aides also care for patients who were recently discharged from a hospital and only require short-term care.

Day-to-day tasks

Home health aides are usually needed because the patient struggles with personal care-taking on a daily basis. Aides are sometimes responsible for bathing, grooming, dressing and feeding patients as well as helping them walk and use the bathroom. Some home health aides will accompany a patient to the doctor's office, and with younger clients, a home health aide may be needed travel to school or work with the client.

Because the patient requires a home health aide, it is typical that the person cannot care for their home in a neat and healthy manner. Home health aides often help pick up the slack left when someone is ill or injured. These tasks can include washing dishes, vacuuming and tidying the house, doing laundry, changing bedsheets, making the bed, grocery shopping and preparing meals. Some aides may be asked to manage the client's money.

Since a home health aide may be the person buying food and preparing meals for the patient, it is common for the aide to advise the patient and the patient's family on nutrition. Aides may also show family members how to care for the patient in case of emergencies or when there is no home health aide present.

Home health aide's workload

A home health aide may care for one patient for a long period of time or multiple patients for short times throughout the day or week. Patients who require more attention may utilize home health aides in shifts so that they are not left alone.

Home health aides generally work for hospices or certified home health agencies. These agencies usually receive funding from the government, which leads to strict guidelines and regulations that must be followed in order to continue receiving funds. Because of the regulations, these type of home health aides must work under direct supervision, usually with a nurse or other medical professional. Aides track the conditions and progressions of their clients as well as keep records of services provided. Changes in a client's condition is reported to the supervisor.

General medical services may be performed by a home health aide, such as checking temperature, pulse rate and respiration; helping the client execute prescribed exercises; and administering medications. Other medical services can include massages, changing wound dressings and assisting with artificial limbs.