A personal care aide provides various services to a person who is unable to care for themselves on their own. These duties may include things like cooking food, picking up heavy objects, dressing, bathing, using the restroom, and performing simple housekeeping tasks. The main types of people that personal care aides serve are the physically disabled, the cognitively impaired, the chronically ill, and the elderly.

Some personal care aides work with just one specific client, while others work with several clients individually. Other aides may work with multiple clients at the same time. For example, a live-in residential aid may only have one client. Another residential aide may travel between the homes of clients throughout the day. Other aides may work in group setting like hospitals, nursing homes, and adult daycare centers.

An aide who works in an adult daycare center with the cognitively impaired may, for example, find that their main duty is assisting the individuals they care for in finding and using the restroom. An aide who works for an elderly person at their private residence may need to assist the person with carrying in the groceries, reaching a plate that is on a high shelf, or cutting up vegetables for dinner. Of course, the duties of a personal care aide may go beyond the simple measures listed here.

Personal Care Aides Career Video Transcript

Home health aides and personal care aides make a major difference in the lives of their clients, providing essential health care that their families may not be able to offer. Home health aides help the elderly, people with disabilities, and those recovering from illness, with basic healthcare tasks such as changing dressings and administering medications. They monitor their clients’ health and report changes in status to licensed nursing staff, who direct their work.

Personal care aides (sometimes called caregivers or personal attendants) generally provide only non-medical services, including companionship, cleaning, cooking, and driving. Their clients may be elderly, or have developmental or intellectual disabilities. Both personal care aides and home health aides may help with routine tasks like feeding, bathing, and dressing. Most aides work in clients’ homes, but they may also work in group homes, hospice care, and adult day care facilities. Some see the same client daily for years, while others work with new clients often.

Full-time work is common but many aides work part-time; their schedules generally depend on clients’ needs. Most aides have a high school diploma, although not all positions require it. Jobs in certified home health or hospice agencies require formal training and certification. Some states require additional certification. While these careers can be emotionally and physically demanding, clients and their families rely on the skills and integrity of home health and personal care aides.