| If you enjoy having a personal relationship with a | | | | familiar home environment, and may recover more |
| person who needs your help, then perhaps you should | | | | quickly at home than in an institutional setting. |
| explore a career as a home or personal care aide. | | | | What kind of training do you need? Requirements vary |
| Imagine the rewarding feeling you'll have when you | | | | state by state. Many states require formal training, |
| assist an elderly or disabled person to lead a happier | | | | which is available from community colleges, vocational |
| and healthier life. | | | | schools, elder care programs, and home health care |
| Many people who are disabled, elderly, or ill, can | | | | agencies. |
| continue to live in their own homes or in residential | | | | Home health aides generally work for agencies that |
| care, rather than in health care facilities or institutions. | | | | receive government funding, and so are required to |
| Home health aides and personal care aides work with | | | | comply with government regulations and work under |
| clients who do not require an institutional health | | | | the supervision of a medical professional. In contrast, |
| environment, but need more extensive personal and | | | | personal and home care aides work for a variety of |
| home care than family or friends can provide. | | | | non-government-funded agencies and may perform |
| Some home and personal care aides work with | | | | their tasks under the supervision of a social worker or |
| discharged hospital patients who have relatively | | | | other non-medical professional. |
| short-term needs, or with families in which a parent is | | | | The National Association for Home Care and Hospice |
| unable to provide care for small children. Home and | | | | (NAHC) offers national certification for personal and |
| personal care aides do not provide medical treatments | | | | home care aides. Certification requires the applicant to |
| or assistance-that's handled by nursing, psychiatric, and | | | | master 17 skills for competency as assessed by a |
| home health aides. | | | | registered nurse, to complete a 75-hour course, and to |
| What tasks do home health aides and personal care | | | | pass a written exam developed by NAHC. |
| aides perform? They may clean clients' houses, do | | | | Check out the schools on a reputable career college |
| laundry, and change bed linens. They may also provide | | | | directory, and you're sure to find one offering the |
| housekeeping and routine personal care services, and | | | | program you need to prepare for a rewarding career. |
| may plan meals, shop for food, and cook. Aides also | | | | How's the job outlook? There's very good news! |
| may help their clients perform everyday tasks such as | | | | According to the U.S. Government's Bureau of Labor |
| getting out of bed, bathing, dressing, and grooming, and | | | | Statistics, between 2008 and 2018 employment of |
| may escort their clients to medical appointments or on | | | | home health aides is projected to grow by 50 percent, |
| other errands. | | | | which is much faster than the average for all |
| What's the career trend? The number of elderly | | | | occupations. This occupation will be amongst the |
| people in the United States is growing. Inpatient care in | | | | occupations adding the most new jobs, growing by |
| nursing homes and hospitals can be very expensive, | | | | nearly 461,000 jobs. |
| and so to keep costs down, patients often return to | | | | If you're looking for a career that allows you to help |
| their homes from these facilities as quickly as possible. | | | | people feel better and lead happier lives-but without |
| Elderly and recovering patients who need assistance | | | | being involved in providing medical treatment-then |
| with household chores and everyday tasks can often | | | | training to become a home health aide or personal |
| reduce their medical expenses by living at home. In | | | | care aide may be perfect for you. |
| addition, many people requiring care prefer to live in a | | | | |