During the week of November 12-18, Palmeira celebrates National Home Care Aide Week. It’s a time when we honor those who play an invaluable role in the healthcare community as caregivers and companions and the incredible difference they make in the lives of their patients and the families they serve.
Home Health Aides and Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) provide basic nursing services and care. Even though they are most often thought to work with the elderly, they serve a wide variety of patients.
The terminally ill, the disabled, the cognitively impaired, those recovering from various illnesses or injuries are among those who are touched by Home Health Aides. We salute all of our hard working Home Care Aides and thank them for their tremendous contribution to the healthcare community!
What kind of work does a Home Health Aide do?
In the most general sense, Home Health Aides provide day to day routine care and assistance to their patients. This may include healthcare tasks such as changing bandages, dressing wounds, applying medications, checking vital signs, monitoring a patient’s health or condition, and reporting changes in a patient’s health status. Home Health Aides may also assist with routine personal activities such as bathing, dressing, eating, grooming, and assisting patients with using the toilet as well as conversing with patients, transporting patients to appointments, and providing support and companionship to their patients.
Home Health Aides are found working in a variety of settings such as Home Health Care Services organizations, Residential Care Facilities, and Individual, Family, Community, and Vocational Rehabilitation Services. The Career Outlook for Home Health Aides is very strong. This may be attributed to the aging baby boom population, who may require more direct patient care as they grow older. According to the US Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment of home health aides is projected to grow by 48% into 2022, which is much faster than average for all occupations.
Training to work as a Home Health Aide
Aides that work in a Home Health Agency like Palmeira pursue training and pass a certification exam to be registered as a Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) with the State.
Training in the Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) program includes the following:
- CPR and First Aid
- Home Health Aide Procedures
- Caring for Patients with Divergent Needs
- Appropriate Methods for Providing Restorative Care
- Specialty Home Care Skills
- Medical Terminology
- Medical Workplace Skills
- Anatomy & Physiology
- …and so much more!
At Palmeira, we celebrate our Home Care Aides and Certified Nursing Assistants and all they do to provide Better Care for Better Outcomes™ for our patients. We salute you!
