“Home care” is supportive care provided in the patient’s home either by professional care agencies or by family and/or friends, most typically assisting with “Activities of Daily Living” such as bathing, dressing and eating as well as household tasks. The term “home care” is often used to distinguish non-medical or custodial care from medical care. Custodial care includes services such as general supervision for health and safety, long term home help with personal care and hygiene, meal preparation, companion services and transportation and errands. Home health aides or certified nursing assistants are the trained professionals who typically provide this type of care.
Definitions and regulations on home care vary by state, but home health aides or certified nursing assistants typically take a course, including both classroom and practical training and must demonstrate skills such as helping a person transfer and giving a bath. Home health aides may also take an additional course on medication assistance, to be able to remind clients about taking medications as part of their duties.
How Home Health Aides Can Help With Your Home Care Needs
At EasyLiving, Inc. we require our home health aides to score a 90% or greater on their home health aide examination. The state of Florida requires that home health aides pass the test, but we feel it is important to have the most competent home care aides to assist our clients.
For clients who need household help but do not require in-home care, individuals known as companions or home aides may provide these services. It is important to distinguish that companions are not allowed or trained to provide hands-on care with activities of daily living such as bathing, dressing or transferring (helping someone get up from bed or chair). The home health aide often provides companion and homemaker services as part of their duties, but individuals who do not have the home health aide (or certified nursing assistant) training should not provide hands-on care.
Companionship and household services are an important component of any home health aide’s job duties. Companion services allow a senior to enjoy the activities that they love for as long as possible. Whether it’s attending a play, bridge game, movie or volunteering, home health aides provide seniors safe escort and enjoyable companionship for them so they can stay connected with their friends, family and community. EasyLiving’s aides are there to provide companionship in the home as well. We’ll keep your loved one’s mind strong and make sure they have fun according to their interests, needs or wants, all while ensuring their safety at home. We can play games or puzzles, read books or the newspaper, share conversation, go for a leisurely walk or simply help them move around the house. These services may be just as important to the senior’s wellbeing as basic safety and health needs. Many home health aides find this the most rewarding aspect of their work.
Home aides also provide important household support, such as:
- Doing laundry
- Washing the dishes
- Ironing clothes
- Other light housekeeping that assists in maintaining a clean and pleasant environment
Home aides may provide pet care as well and are often involved in meal preparation. A home health aide can prepare meals and provide company while the client eats, and can also prepare several meals in advance or help the client shop for supplies.
Personal care services provided by a home care aide can be very valuable for those just discharged from the hospital for a procedure or surgery. A recovering patient attempting household chores or personal hygiene themselves can end up falling or sustaining other injuries, leading to another trip to the hospital or doctor’s office. Seniors, especially, require a variety of support services for a safe and full recovery after being discharged from a hospital.
To learn more about our home health aide staff, contact us today. We can send you some educational information on selecting a home care agency and can talk to you about how we can best meet your family’s needs.
If you are a home health aide interested in working for a great company, visit our employment page.
