Home Health Care Employment 5 Things You Should Know Stylios Alton Trachanas
ď‚— Home health care workers are people in charge of
caring for the sick, disabled and elderly in their communities. The work is usually performed within the homes or residential facilities of the people receiving care. The positions are widely available in every city, town, and suburb around the country. In fact, wherever there are people, home health care workers are and will continue to be in demand.
Know the difference between home health aides and home care aides ď‚— There are various types of positions within this
industry. However, in general terms, the two primary types of jobs you can get are that of home health aide and home (or personal) care aide.
ď‚— Home health aides usually work for certified
health agencies that receive government funding and therefore must comply with certain rules in order to continue to receive that funding.
Understand the benefits ď‚— People who appreciate flexible, non-standard
work hours will often choose this type of position: in fact, you may care for the same person for months or years. But, it is more likely that you will travel around town each day, caring for 2, 3 or more people on any given day. The other, most obvious, benefit is the ability to really make a difference in someone's life in a way that you cannot do with many other types of jobs.
Know that this type of work is not for everyone ď‚— Working in this industry can be very physically and
mentally demanding. For example, you can find yourself heading home each day with a sore back due to having to lift the person you care for into bed. Also, the people for whom you care may not always be friendly or in a good mood.
You must receive training ď‚— You must receive training and pass a test to prove
that you are competent to work in this field. Most training is "on the job training" and is conducted by registered nurses or other medical practitioners. Training does not exceed 75 hours in most cases.
You do not need a high school diploma to get a job ď‚— Never got your high school diploma? No worries!
Working as a home health aide or home care aide does not require that you have one. Just complete the training and pass the competency test and you will be on your way!