Home health aides perform several duties for people in need of home medical care. They work under the supervision of a registered nurse, mostly to monitor patients and ensure their general comfort.
In this article, we’ll be taking a detailed look at what the duties of home health aides are, as well as discuss their limitations and the possible risks.
What is a Home Health Aides?
Generally, home health aides perform fairly basic health care tasks. They are not medical professionals and work under the direct supervision of a certified nurse.
Primarily, a home health aid is responsible for basic, non-professional health care.
Home Health Aide Duties
A home health aide needs to be devoted to the comfort and well-being of their clients. Elderly and disabled people, as well as their families, rely on the friendly dedicated services that an HHA provides.
Typically, their duties include:
- Personal care and hygiene: This would include bathing, grooming, trimming nails, and helping with going to the toilet. Through good personal hygiene, clients maintain their dignity and are less likely to incur medical issues relating to infections.
- Family Support: Whether it’s only for a few hours or daily care, home health aides are there to take the burden off family members who are unable to provide constant care. They are both a friend and confidant to their clients and will correspond with relevant family members regarding the condition of their loved ones.
- Liaising with nurses: An HHA is required to assist nurses in the daily health care of their patients. To this end, they are required to discuss all medical issues with the attendant nurse and inform them of changes in the patient’s medical condition.
HHA Limitations
While home health aides are required to provide basic medical care, they do not receive any formal medical training. They may receive basic home care training, but this is not mandatory.
Home health aides may assist with basic housekeeping, though it is not generally their responsibility. They are also not required to provide transport or other duties that would normally be performed by a personal assistant or companionship caregiver.
HHA Risks
The possible liability risks that a home health aide could face would be:
- A client may sue an HHA for negligence if they believe they have suffered loss or harm through the failure of the HHA to properly perform their duties.
- They may also face a general liability claim that could result from falls or similar injuries.
It is important that home health aides are covered by professional and general liability insurance.
Finding a Certified Home Health Aide in Bergen, New Jersey
It isn’t easy to find a home health aide agency that you can rely on. It is really up to the integrity of the home health care agency as to what type of service you can expect. This is why it’s important to make use of an agency that has earned a reputation for excellence.
At Champion Community Home Care HCS in Bergen, New Jersey, we are meticulous about recruiting certified home health aids with the best experience and attentiveness to their duties. For home health care that exceeds all expectations, contact us today.