Home Health Aides

Home Health Aides for Family Caretakers by Senior-Meals.org

Home Health Aides for Family Caretakers by Senior-Meals.org
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What is a Home Health Aide?

Many families of seniors and the elderly notice their loved one is having trouble living at home alone. When an elderly or senior relative begins to need help to get through the day, the family has a tough choice to make.
  • Do they wish to place their loved one in a facility such as assisted living or continuing care?
  • Do they want to become home caregivers?
For families unable to provide the help needed due to time constraints, hiring a home health aide is the right decision. 

Home Health Aid Qualifications

Home healthcare aides go by many names, including homemaker aides, personal attendants, and home attendants. Many have training and certification in light medical care and are called:
  • Certified Nurses Aides, CNA
  • Certified Medical Aide, CMA
  • Certified Nursing Assistant, CNA
  • Home Health Provider
  • Home Caregiver
  • Habilitation Training Specialist
A Home healthcare aide provides personal care, generally within the home of the elderly and disabled. They help seniors who are having trouble with day-to-day grooming tasks, such as dressing or eating. They may also work with senior citizens who have mobility issues or struggle with early-onset dementia or Alzheimer's. 

Other duties performed include: 
  • Maintaining patient care records and carefully noting the condition and progress of the patient. They must report any problems to a direct supervisor or case manager. 
  • Providing patients with help moving in and out of beds. They are usually asked to help patients with their baths and with dressing and personal hygiene.
  • Assisting with their personal care, including changing bed linens and doing laundry. 
  • Adhering to prescribed diets and planning, preparing and serving meals to patients.
  • Administering any prescribed medications.
  • Providing companionship by talking, watching television or reading aloud. 
  • Providing light exercise designed to keep the patient alert and healthy. 
Elderly Home Healthcare Aides

These are home caregivers who work mainly with the elderly or those approaching the end of their life. Finding a reliable home caregiver is the difference between remaining at home or being forced to choose a nursing home. Because home healthcare is relatively new, it is unregulated. Those considering hiring a home health care aide should consider the following:
  • Consider community-based resources. Contact the local Council on Aging or senior center as well as the area hospital. Almost every county in the United States has an agency designed to help the elderly stay in their own homes. Local agencies can often help with providing meals, help with household chores and transportation, all at little cost. 
  • Get a social worker to assess the needs of the patient. This can be done through the local Department of Family Services. 
  • Ask for recommendations from nurses and doctors. 
When hiring a private home health care aide, may consult a private home-care agency. Check to see if the home healthcare aide agency contacted is one that hires, screens, trains and supervises its aides. It could be just a registry of independent health aides and not an actual agency.
What is a Home Health Aide?
Senior Home Healthcare Aides

Senior home health care aides work with those who are age 55 or older. Unless they suffer from a terminal or debilitating disease or injury, or from early-onset dementia or Alzheimer's, seniors generally need support on a limited basis. They may need help with ordering or preparing senior meals. A home care aide for seniors can ensure the senior eats properly. 

Seniors may need help with light housework, dressing and chores that involve standing and reaching, as well as daily medication reminders. The senior aide may hire on with a family and stay with them for weeks, months or years. The goal for a senior home aide is to allow the senior to live as independently as possible. Senior home care aides may run errands for the senior. Often, the aide is hired primarily for companionship purposes. 
Home Healthcare Aide Agencies

Home healthcare aide agencies can help families who need to decide between hiring help for the elderly or for seniors. Finding a suitable home aide can be difficult without help. Although the turnover can be high due to low wages, a home health agency will generally pay their employees more and provide extra training. This ensures the patient does not have to change aides and become accustomed to new people constantly. 

The advantage of using a home healthcare aide agency is the agency is responsible for supplying aides And paying the aides. An agency is also responsible for paying the insurance cost in the event an aide is injured while working in the private home. Agencies also run criminal background checks and supply the family with a new aide in case of emergency. 
For information and help finding a home health aide agencies in your area, contact:
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