Schoolsoup.com » Careers » Homemaker - Home Health Aides

Homemaker - Home Health Aides Career Information

At School Soup we want to help you on your Homemaker - Home Health Aides Career path. Here in our Homemaker - Home Health Aides career section, we have lots of great information to help you learn all about Homemaker - Home Health Aides. If you're interested in other possible careers, please select a career from the dropdown menu below to learn more about that specific career.

----- Select a Career ----- Accountants and Auditors Actors, Directors, and Producers Actuaries Adjusters, Investigators, and Collectors Administrative Service Managers Adult Education Teachers Aerospace Engineers Agricultural Engineers Agricultural Scientists Agricultural Workers Air Traffic Controllers Aircraft Mechanics and Engine Specialists Aircraft Pilots Animal Care and Service Workers Apparel Workers Architects Archivists and Curators Atmospheric Scientists Automotive Body Repairers Automotive Mechanics Bank Tellers Barbers and Cosmetologists Bill and Account Collectors Billing Clerks Bindery Workers Biological and Medical Scientists Biomedical Engineers Boilermakers Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks Bricklayers and Stonemasons Broadcast Technicians Brokerage Clerks and Statement Clerks Busdrivers Butchers and Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians Cargo and Freight Agents Cargo and Freight Agents Carpenters Carpet Installers Cashiers Chefs, Cooks, and Other Kitchen Workers Chemical Engineers Chemists Chiropractors Civil Engineers Clerical Supervisors and Managers Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians College and University Faculty Computer Control Programmers and Operators Computer Operators Computer Programmers Computer Scientists, Computer Engineers, and Systems Analysts Computer Software Engineers Concrete Masons and Terrazzo Workers Construction and Building Inspectors Construction Contractors and Managers Correction Officers Cost Estimators Counselors Counter and Rental Clerks Credit Clerks and Authorizers Dancers and Choreographers Demonstrators, Produst Promoters, and Models Dental Assistants Dental Hygienists Dental Laboratory Technicians Dentists Designers Desktop Publishers Diesel Mechanics Dietitians and Nutritionists Dispatchers Dispensing Opticians Drafters Drywall Workers and Lathers Economists and Marketing Research Analysts Education Administrators Electric Power Generating Plant Operators and Power Distributors and Dispat Electrical and Electronics Engineers Electricians Electroneuro- diagnostic Technologists Electronic Equipment Repairers Electronic Home Entertainment Equipment Repairers Elevator Installers and Repairers Emergency Medical Technicians Engineering Technicians Engineers Environmental Engineers Farm Equipment Mechanics Farm Operators and Managers File Clerks Financial Analysts and Personal Financial Advisors Financial clerks Financial Managers Firefighting Occupations Fishers, Hunters, and Trappers Flight Attendants Food and Beverage Service Workers Foresters and Conservation Scientists Forestry and Logging Occupations Funeral Directors Gaming Cage Workers Gaming Services Occupations Gardeners and Groundskeepers General Managers and Top Executives General Office Clerks Geologists and Geophysicists Glaziers Guards Handlers, Equipment Cleaners, Helpers, and Laborers Hazardous Materials Removal Health Information Technicians Health Services Managers Heating, Air-Conditioning Technicians Home Appliance and Power Tool Repairers Homemaker - Home Health Aides Hotel and Motel Desk Clerks Hotel Managers and Assistants Human Resources Assistants Human Resources Specialists and Managers Industrial Engineers Industrial Machinery Repairers Industrial Production Managers Information Clerks Inspectors, Testers, and Graders Instructional Coordinators Insulation Workers Insurance Agents and Brokers Insurance Underwriters Interviewing and New Accounts Clerks Janitors and Cleaners and Cleaning Supervisors Jewelers Job Opportunities in the Armed Forces Landscape Architects Lawyers and Judges Librarians Library Assistants and Bookmobile Drivers Library Technicians Licensed Practical Nurses Line Installers and Cable Splicers Loan Officers and Counselors Machinists and Tool Programmers Mail Clerks and Messengers Management Analysts and Consultants Manufacturers' and Wholesale Sales Representatives Marketing, Advertising, and Public Relations Managers Material Moving Equipment Material Recording, Scheduling, Dispatching, and Distributing Occupations Materials Engineers Mathematicians Mechanical Engineers Medical Assistants Medical Transcriptionists Metallurgical, Ceramic, and Materials Engineers Meteorologists Mining Engineers Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics Motorcycle, Boat, and Small-Engine Mechanics Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners Musicians Nuclear Engineers Nuclear Medicine Technologists Nursing Aides and Psychiatric Aides Occupational Therapists Operations Research Analysts Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians Optometrists Order Clerks Painters and Paperhangers Painting and Coating Machine Operators Paralegals Payroll and Time keeping Clerks Personnel Clerks Pest Control Workers Petroleum Engineers Pharmacists Pharmacy Aids Pharmacy Technicians Photographers and Camera Operators Photographic Process Workers Physical Therapist Assistants and Aids Physical Therapists Physician Assistants Physicians Physicists and Astronomers Plasterers Plumbers and Pipefitters Podiatrists Police, Detectives, and Special Agents Postal Clerks and Mail Carriers Precision Assemblers Prepress Workers Printing Press Operators Private Household Workers Procurement Clerks Property and Real Estate Managers Protestant Ministers Psychologists Public Relations Specialists Purchasers and Buyers Rabbis Radio and Television Announcers and Newscasters Radiologic Technologists Rail Transportation Workers Real Estate Agents, Brokers, and Appraisers Receptionists Record Clerks Recreation Workers Recreational Therapists Registered Nurses Reporters and Correspondents Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks Respiratory Therapists Restaurant and Food Service Managers Retail Sales Worker Supervisors and Managers Retail Sales Workers Roman Catholic Priests Roofers School Teachers Kindergarten, Elementary, and Secondary Science Technicians Secretaries Securities and Financial Services Sales Representatives Semiconductor Processors Sheetmetal Workers Social and Human Services Assistants Social Scientists and Urban Planners Social Workers Speech Language Pathologists and Audiologists Stationary Engineers Statisticians Stenographers and Court Reporters Stock Clerks Structural and Reinforcing Ironworkers Surgical Technologists Surveyors Systems Analysts, Computer Scientists, and Database Administrators Tax Examiners, Collectors, anc Revenue Agents Taxi Drivers and Chauffeurs Teacher Aides Telephone Operators Tool and Die Makers Traffic, Shipping, and Receiving Clerks Travel Agents Truckdrivers Typists, Word Processors, and Data Entry Keyers Urban and Regional Planners Vending Machine Servicers and Repairers Veterinarians Visual Artists Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant Operators Water Transportation Occupations Welders, Cutters, and Welding Machine Operators Woodworking Occupations Writers and Editors View All Careers

• Significant Points
• Nature of the Work
• Working Conditions
• Employment
• Training, Qualifications, Adv.

• Job Outlook
• Earnings
• Related Occupations
• Sources of Additional Information

Significant Points

·     Numerous job openings will result from very fast employment growth and high replacement needs.

·     Education required for entry-level jobs is generally minimal, but earnings are low.

Nature of the Work

Personal and home care aides help elderly, disabled, and ill persons live in their own homes or in residential care facilities instead of in a health facility. Most work with elderly or disabled clients who need more extensive care than family or friends can provide. Some aides work with families in which a parent is incapacitated and small children need care. Others help discharged hospital patients who have relatively short-term needs. 

Personal and home care aides(also called homemakers, caregivers, companions, and personal attendants(provide housekeeping and routine personal care services. They clean clients' houses, do laundry, and change bed linens. Aides may plan meals (including special diets), shop for food, and cook. Aides also may help clients move from bed, bathe, dress, and groom. Some accompany clients outside the home, serving as a guide and companion.

Personal and home care aides also provide instruction and psychological support. They may advise families and patients on such things as nutrition, cleanliness, and household tasks. Aides also may assist in toilet training a severely mentally handicapped child, or just listen to clients talk about their problems.

In home care agencies, it usually is a registered nurse, a physical therapist, or a social worker who assigns specific duties and supervises personal and home care aides. Aides keep records of services performed and of clients' condition and progress. They report changes in the client's condition to the supervisor or case manager. Aides work in cooperation with other healthcare professionals, including registered nurses, therapists, and other medical staff.

Working Conditions

The personal and home care aide's daily routine may vary. Aides may go to the same home every day for months or even years. However, most aides work with a number of different clients, each job lasting a few hours, days, or weeks. Aides often visit four or five clients on the same day.

Surroundings differ from case to case. Some homes are neat and pleasant, while others are untidy or depressing. Some clients are pleasant and cooperative; others are angry, abusive, depressed, or otherwise difficult.

Personal and home care aides generally work on their own, with periodic visits by their supervisor. They receive detailed instructions explaining when to visit clients and what services to perform. Many aides work part time, and weekend hours are common.

Aides are individually responsible for getting to the client's home. They may spend a good portion of the working day traveling from one client to another. They are particularly susceptible to falls inside and outside clients' homes and injuries resulting from all types of overexertion when assisting patients. Mechanical lifting devices that are available in institutional settings are seldom available in patients' homes.

Employment

Personal and home care aides held about 414,000 jobs in 2009. Most aides are employed by social services agencies, home health agencies, or residential care facilities. Self-employed aides have no agency affiliation or supervision, and accept clients, set fees, and arrange work schedules on their own.

Training, Qualifications, Adv.

In some States, this occupation is open to individuals with no formal training. On-the-job training is generally provided. Other States may require formal training, depending on State law. The National Association for Home Care offers national certification for personal and home care aides. Certification is a voluntary demonstration that the individual has met industry standards.

Successful personal and home care aides like to help people and do not mind hard work. They should be responsible, compassionate, emotionally stable, and cheerful. In addition, aides should be tactful, honest, and discreet because they work in private homes. Aides also must be in good health. A physical examination including State-mandated tests, such as those for tuberculosis, may be required.

Advancement for personal and home care aides is limited. In some agencies, workers start out performing homemaker duties, such as cleaning. With experience and training, they may take on personal care duties.

Job Outlook

A large number of job openings are expected for personal and home care aides because of and high replacement needs. Personal and home care aides is expected to be one of the fastest growing occupations through the year 2010.

The number of elderly people is projected to rise substantially. This age group is characterized by mounting health problems requiring some assistance. In addition to the elderly, there will be an increasing reliance on home care for patients of all ages. This trend reflects several developments: efforts to contain costs by moving patients out of hospitals and nursing facilities as quickly as possible; the realization that treatment can be more effective in familiar surroundings rather than clinical surroundings; and the development and improvement of medical technologies for in-home treatment.

In addition to job openings created by the increase in demand for these workers, replacement needs are expected to produce numerous openings. Turnover is high, a reflection of the relatively low skill requirements, low pay, and high emotional demands of the work. For these same reasons, many people are reluctant to seek these jobs. Therefore, persons who are interested in this work and suited for it should have excellent job opportunities, particularly those with experience or training as personal care, home health, or nursing aides.

Earnings

Median hourly earnings of personal and home care aides were $9.50 in 2009. The middle 50 percent earned between $6.43 and $8.53 an hour. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $5.74, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $10.13 an hour. Median hourly earnings in the industries employing the largest numbers of personal and home care aides in 2009 are shown below:

Most employers give slight pay increases with experience and added responsibility. Aides usually are paid only for the time worked in the home. They normally are not paid for travel time between jobs. Employers often hire on-call hourly workers and provide no benefits.

Related Occupations

Personal and home care aide is a service occupation combining duties of caregivers and social service workers.

Sources of Additional Information

Information about employment opportunities may be obtained from local hospitals, nursing care facilities, home health care agencies, psychiatric facilities, residential mental health facilities, social assistance agencies, and local offices of the State employment service.