What Do Home Health Aides Do (including Their Typical Day At Work)

Job Description

Home Health Aides provide routine individualized healthcare such as changing bandages and dressing wounds, and applying topical medications to the elderly, convalescents, or persons with disabilities at the patient’s home or in a care facility. Monitor or report changes in health status. May also provide personal care such as bathing, dressing, and grooming of patient. They also maintain records of patient care, condition, progress, or problems to report and discuss observations with supervisor or case manager.

Other tasks include:

• Provide patients with help moving in and out of beds, baths, wheelchairs, or automobiles and with dressing and grooming.
• Bathe patients.
• Administer prescribed oral medications, under the written direction of physician or as directed by home care nurse or aide, and ensure patients take their medicine.
• Care for patients by changing bed linens, washing and ironing laundry, cleaning, or assisting with their personal care.
• Entertain, converse with, or read aloud to patients to keep them mentally healthy and alert.
• Plan, purchase, prepare, or serve meals to patients or other family members, according to prescribed diets.

We asked Home Health Aides how satisfied they are with their job. Here is what they said.

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65% of them said they were satisfied with their job and 78% said they find that their job makes the world a better place or helps to make someone else’s life better.

Typical Day At Work

On a daily basis, Home Health Aides bathe patients. They maintain records of patient care, condition, progress, or problems to report and discuss observations with supervisor or case manager.

A typical day for a Home Health Aide will also include:

• Administer prescribed oral medications, under the written direction of physician or as directed by home care nurse or aide, and ensure patients take their medicine.
• Care for patients by changing bed linens, washing and ironing laundry, cleaning, or assisting with their personal care.
• Provide patients with help moving in and out of beds, baths, wheelchairs, or automobiles and with dressing and grooming.
• Entertain, converse with, or read aloud to patients to keep them mentally healthy and alert.
• Care for children who are disabled or who have sick or disabled parents.

We asked some Home Health Aides a few questions to find out what else does their work day look like. Here is what we found.

	Do you have telephone conversations everyday in this job?	40% said yes
	How important is it to work in a team in this job?	51% said very important
	Do you have group discussions everyday in this job?	58% said yes
	Do you talk or work with customers everyday in this job?	29% said yes
	Do you have to deal with angry customers everyday in this job?	12% said yes
	Do you have to make decisions everyday in this job?	51% said yes

Other responsibilities

Besides their typical day, Home Health Aides also perform a variety of duties as requested by client, such as obtaining household supplies or running errands. They may also massage patients or apply preparations or treatments, such as liniment, alcohol rubs, or heat-lamp stimulation.

On a weekly to monthly basis, Home Health Aides Accompany clients to doctors’ offices or on other trips outside the home, providing transportation, assistance, and companionship. They might also Provide patients and families with emotional support and instruction in areas such as caring for infants, preparing healthy meals, living independently, or adapting to disability or illness.

In addition, they Direct patients in simple prescribed exercises or in the use of braces or artificial limbs.

Although specific duties may vary, many of them Check patients’ pulse, temperature, and respiration.

To some Home Health Aides, it is also their responsibility to Care for patients by changing bed linens, washing and ironing laundry, cleaning, or assisting with their personal care.

Working life

Less than 40 hours per week

Regular schedule like a 9 to 5

In a typical work week as a Home Health Aide, you can expect to work less than 40 hours per week.

Is this right for me

People who are suitable for this job tends to like working with, communicating with, and teaching people. They like helping or providing service to others..

They also like work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They like working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery.

You can read more about these career personality types here.

Explore other careers

http://www.bls.gov/OOH/healthcare/home-health-aides.htm

http://www.nahc.org/