Personal care aides are individuals who work to assist another person with the completion of their daily activities. These professionals may work in a variety of settings including adult daycare facilities, residential homes and long term care facilities. When they work in private homes, they are also referred to as in-home aides or in-home caregivers.
You may have encountered one of these aides when you were visiting a sick loved one in a hospital or a nursing home. They are not a medical professional like a nurse; they are considered a professionally trained caregiver. Although there are some duties of personal care aides that can often overlap with certified nursing assistants, there are distinct differences between the two professionals.
What Are The Job Duties Of Personal Care Aides?
These personal care aides provide assistance with a range of services for individuals who are not able to take of themselves. Their responsibilities and duties may include services such as:
• Cooking meals
• Lifting objects
• Bathing
• Toileting assistance
• Grooming
• Light housekeeping tasks
The primary types of clients who receive these services are the elderly, those with chronic illnesses, those who are physically disabled and those with cognitive impairments.
There are some personal care aides that only work with one client, and there are others that may work with several clients simultaneously. For example, an aide that provides assistance in a residential setting may work with one client or even two if they are working with a married couple. However, aides that work in a group setting environment such as an adult daycare facility may work with more than one client during their shift.
Personal care aides that work in a facility such as an adult daycare may find that their main job duty is to assist with cognitively impaired clients by helping them to and from the restroom. Those who work in a client’s home may assist with preparing food before cooking a meal or folding clean clothes and putting them away.
The Work Environment
As previously stated, professional aides can work in a variety of locations. In larger metropolitan areas, aides generally seek employment through home care and private care agencies. In rural areas, they may be directly hired by a family.
Personal care aides perform non medical tasks for clients who are unable to on their own. They can help maintain a person’s independence and increase their overall wellbeing.
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