Become A Home Health Aide If Looking For Independence And Versatility
Being an aide in the healthcare setting is one of the jobs that does not require many years of training and there is always a constant need for aides as they take care of a fundamental aspect of healthcare which is mainly taking care of the needs of patients and residents. Becoming a home health aide allows one to work outside of the hospital or nursing home setting and either do it full time or part time. CNA training classes are extremely beneficial for home health aides as they teach how to perform various tasks safely.
Home Health Aide Careers
If someone is chronically ill, disabled, elderly, etc, they usually need the assistance of another. While family and friends may certainly help, home health aides usually fill this need as this is usually their job whereas family and friends may have other careers and not have the time to take care of someone in need.
Many of these individuals choose to stay home and with recent healthcare cuts, many people in nursing homes are being taken out of nursing homes and returned to homes to be looked after by home health aides. The demand for home health aides is expected to increase due to this.
Home health aides usually work alone with periodic visits from their supervisor who is usually a nurse. They are usually instructed on when to visit the client and what needs to be done. This job can be performed part time, evenings or weekends as the client requires. Aides may visit several patients during the day or have only one patient that they take care of. Reliable transportation is definitely important as a an aide.
Home Health Aide Duties
The daily duties for home health aides usually vary and some of the duties include checking the patient's vitals (pulse rate, temperature, respiration rate, etc), helping administer required medication, assist with patient exercises, prepare simple dressings, massage, helping with baths, grooming, etc. Specially trained aides can also help with other heavy equipment such as ventilators that help patients breathe. CNA training classes are a great help when learning how to properly perform these tasks and prevent injury to the aide and the patient.
Aides also provide emotional support to patients as well as instruct patients. They may also instruct friends and family on cleanliness, nutrition, etc. These are only a few of the duties performed by aides and aides need to be prepared to perform various other tasks as required by the patient.
Aides must keep good records of the duties performed as well as the condition and progress of the client and report these to the supervisor. While home health aides have a level of independence in their work, they are required to work under the direct supervision of a medical professional if the employer receives funding from Medicare and Medicaid.
Training
If an aide works a home health agency or hospice agency that receives funding from Medicaid or Medicare, they must be formally trained. Most aides usually work for these agencies that receive this federal funding.
In order to work for these agencies that receive federal funding, the aide must receive formal training and pass a competency exam. As mentioned previously, CNA training classes offered by community colleges, the Red Cross, some nursing homes, vocational training centers, etc, is a great way to receive this required training.
CNA training classes last on average about 6 weeks and teach all aspects of being an aide in the health care industry and what is required of aides. The training required of home health aides should last at least 75 hours.
CNA training classes include textbook work as well as practice sessions. These training classes also include clinicals which allow students to practice the skills they learned in class in a real life setting such as a hospital or nursing home with real patients and residents while being supervised by medical staff.
Home Health Aide Careers
If someone is chronically ill, disabled, elderly, etc, they usually need the assistance of another. While family and friends may certainly help, home health aides usually fill this need as this is usually their job whereas family and friends may have other careers and not have the time to take care of someone in need.
Many of these individuals choose to stay home and with recent healthcare cuts, many people in nursing homes are being taken out of nursing homes and returned to homes to be looked after by home health aides. The demand for home health aides is expected to increase due to this.
Home health aides usually work alone with periodic visits from their supervisor who is usually a nurse. They are usually instructed on when to visit the client and what needs to be done. This job can be performed part time, evenings or weekends as the client requires. Aides may visit several patients during the day or have only one patient that they take care of. Reliable transportation is definitely important as a an aide.
Home Health Aide Duties
The daily duties for home health aides usually vary and some of the duties include checking the patient's vitals (pulse rate, temperature, respiration rate, etc), helping administer required medication, assist with patient exercises, prepare simple dressings, massage, helping with baths, grooming, etc. Specially trained aides can also help with other heavy equipment such as ventilators that help patients breathe. CNA training classes are a great help when learning how to properly perform these tasks and prevent injury to the aide and the patient.
Aides also provide emotional support to patients as well as instruct patients. They may also instruct friends and family on cleanliness, nutrition, etc. These are only a few of the duties performed by aides and aides need to be prepared to perform various other tasks as required by the patient.
Aides must keep good records of the duties performed as well as the condition and progress of the client and report these to the supervisor. While home health aides have a level of independence in their work, they are required to work under the direct supervision of a medical professional if the employer receives funding from Medicare and Medicaid.
Training
If an aide works a home health agency or hospice agency that receives funding from Medicaid or Medicare, they must be formally trained. Most aides usually work for these agencies that receive this federal funding.
In order to work for these agencies that receive federal funding, the aide must receive formal training and pass a competency exam. As mentioned previously, CNA training classes offered by community colleges, the Red Cross, some nursing homes, vocational training centers, etc, is a great way to receive this required training.
CNA training classes last on average about 6 weeks and teach all aspects of being an aide in the health care industry and what is required of aides. The training required of home health aides should last at least 75 hours.
CNA training classes include textbook work as well as practice sessions. These training classes also include clinicals which allow students to practice the skills they learned in class in a real life setting such as a hospital or nursing home with real patients and residents while being supervised by medical staff.
