Working as a home health aide in a home care setting is different from working in other health care facilities in so many ways. First of all, you get the unique experience of caring for people right in their homes. That means your patient and their family trusts you as they welcome you in their private space. Of course, there is no assurance that you won’t land difficult clients, but as long as you know you are doing your job and positively impacting their health and their lives, that should be a reward in itself.
If you want to know more about what it means to be a home health aide, read on as Medical Career Academy shares some information with you:
What Exactly Is an HHA’s Job?
A home health aide’s responsibility is to care for someone and assist them as they try to live independently in their home while they recover. Because the service you give is tailored to the client’s needs, there’s no clear description of what an HHA does.
It would be hard to describe a typical workday of a home health aide because even the number of hours they work can change from time to time. They may work for fixed hours, depending on the needs of the client or their agreement. Most of the clients HHAs care for are seniors who require support and health assistance in their homes.
Despite the flexibility of this job, there are still some tasks that HHAs are expected to do:
- Assisting with the client’s personal care
- Providing company to the client whenever needed
- Doing some light housework
- Planning the menu and preparing meals for the client
- Picking up the prescription and giving medication on time
What Do These Tasks Entail?
Providing Personal Care Assistance
Some patients do not wish to stay in the hospital despite requiring assistance in even their personal care routine. That’s where an HHA comes in. Depending on your agreement, you may be asked to assist as your client takes a bath, uses the toilet, dresses up, and more. This is common when the client is having trouble walking.
Offering Companionship
Sometimes, the HHA must accompany the client in the day or for a few hours while their primary caregiver or family is taking a break. Seniors, especially, could benefit from having someone to talk to and provide them with their needs when their family is unavailable.
Doing Some Chores Around the House
For someone who finds it difficult to stand, let alone walk around, it would be almost impossible to keep the house clean. That’s why most home health aides are willing to do some chores around the house for their clients.
Planning and Prepping Healthy and Nutritious Food
To help speed up the recovery of the patient, an HHA could help with the planning of the weekly menu and the preparation of the food. This is to ensure that the client is eating food that could help them recover faster.
This task may also be required of the client because they are unable to cook by themselves because of their health condition.
Picking Up Prescription and Ensuring the Patient Takes Medication on Time
Both the patient and the physician will be grateful for your help with this. One of the many concerns of a doctor when a patient is discharged from the hospital is that they might not follow their medication schedule. They’d be more at ease knowing that someone ensures that the patient takes their meds on time.
Conclusion
To become an HHA, you need to take the necessary medical career classes to ensure that you are prepared for the job and that you can perform the duties mentioned above. Remember that it is not like other traditional jobs. You need to be patient and flexible so you can cater to the needs of your recovering patient.
If you are interested in becoming an HHA, you need to find a reliable training center to ensure that you are equipped for the job.
Medical Career Academy provides healthcare training solutions for anyone who wishes to work in the healthcare industry. Contact us today to learn about the courses we offer!