What is a Home Health Aide?

A home health aide is a low-level medical assistant who helps disabled, recovering, and elderly people manage their day-to-day living needs. Your main duties include bathing and dressing patients, preparing meals, changing bed linens, cleaning, washing laundry, and providing social contact. Medical-related duties might include administering medication, taking, and recording temperature and pulse, accompanying patients to doctor appointments and reporting any unusual behavior or symptoms to your superiors. With special training you might be permitted to assist with the use of ventilators and other equipment.

What Does a Home Health Aide Do?

Home health aides work in private homes to assist patients who are too injured or unwell to care for themselves. An effective home health aide is caring, sympathetic, and dedicated to those in their care. Their specific duties vary based on the needs of their patients, such as bathing, feeding, dressing, cleaning, as well as basic human interaction. These professionals administer any daily medication their patients may need, as well as taking their vitals. With specialized training, they may also be qualified to operate specific medical equipment like ventilators. If necessary, they can also accompany and transport them to a doctor’s office.