If you are interested in becoming a Home Health Aide (HHA) and are wondering how to get started – we can help. Partnership For Healthcare strive to provide the best and most up to date information and resources on education, schools, salaries and careers for entry level healthcare and medical careers, including information on training as a HHA.
Your HHA Career Questions
- What does a Home Health Aide do?
- How much can a Home Health Aide Earn?
- How to become a Home Health Aide?
Overview
Home Health Aides are similar to many other healthcare assistants such as certified nursing assistants and medical assistants, but with one key difference: most of them work with patients who still wish to live at home. These people employ them so that they do not need to move to an assisted living facility. The variety of patients will range from the elderly who still wish to live at home, but may need help with things such as cleaning and grocery shopping to those who are disabled and need some help to get around in life to people who are ill and need help with their children. The need varies, but the basic core job remains the same: the help people maintain a higher quality of life in the comfort of their own home. If this sounds good to you, what do you need to know?
Role and Responsibilities
The role of a HHA can vary alot depending on what the patient, or client, needs and where the aide is working. Most of them work in the patient’s homes, but in some cases, they may work in small assisted living homes or larger facilities. No matter where they work, the overarching duty is to make life more comfortable for the person they work for. To that end, duties will generally include:
- Helping the patient keep himself or herself clean
- Aid in using the toilet or bedpan
- Help the patient stay physically active
- Do basic vital checks such as pulse and breathing rates
- Help the patient take the right medications
- Plan meals, shop for food and cook
- Light housekeeping such as laundry, dishes cleaning, straightening up and making beds,
- Keep patients company with conversation and games or movies
- Coordinate care with other family members and the rest of the health care team
- Report to a supervising nurse
- Help to lift things
Similar Careers
As already mentioned Home Health Aides usually fall into the same category as certified nursing assistants and certified medical assistants due to the fact that they tend to require similar skill sets and carry out the same healthcare duties.
Home Health Aides who wish to progress their careers will generally seek a position as a certified nursing assistant or a registered nurse.
This line of work is great if you enjoy helping others, are compassionate and patient and are detail-oriented. It also makes a great stepping stone to further your medical career and doesn’t require a lot of education.