You Guide To a Career as a Home Health Aide

1. You Guide To a Career as a Home Health Aide Many of us dream to serve the human brethren and make a difference to lives right from our childhood. Goals to be a part of healthcare setups and assist the sick, disable and the elderly are not only met by doctor positions, but there are also other important roles in the ecosystem that one can play and be a facilitator of good health. Responsibilities of a home health aide A Home Health Aide is one such role that offers immense gratification and an amazing opportunity to serve as well as earn. It, however, comes with a wide set of responsibilities as well. A home health aide is responsible for assisting patients with important personal routine chores such as dressing, bathing, moving and other hygiene requirements. Other sustenance activities such as basic cooking, medicine administration, laundry etc. may also be included based on the setup. The major difference that sets it apart from the role of a nurse is that it is in a residential setup where the assistance is to be provided to the patients at their home. Below are some other common responsibilities of a home health aide: Recording all the steps of patient care undertaken Recording vital signs and condition indicators Reporting red signals to a doctor or hospital Arranging ambulance for urgent hospital transfers

2. Administer medication and injections Offering physical as well as moral support to the patients Helping them indulge in leisure activities and planning safe recreation Helping with diaper changes or taking to the washroom for patients unable to move independently Your typical working environment as a Home Health Aide: Before deciding whether you want to be a Home Health Aide or no you must first know the kind of setup you’d be working in and whether you’d be comfortable. It mostly involves working at the home of the patient or an old age home or similar setup, you may be required to assist one or more patients and do all the chores for them. The timings may be extended and you may be required to work night shifts as well. Here are some things you should consider before you decide whether you want to be a home health aide or no: You may be required to work alone at the patient’s home. Would you be comfortable? There is a lot of responsibility involved when it comes to patient healthcare and most likely there will be no supervision The conditions may be unsanitary and you may have to restore the hygiene You need to get down to basic tasks such as diaper changes and puke cleaning What does it take to be a Home Health Aide: Here are some attributes that are essential to be a Home Health Aide: Physical Fitness: You may have to lift patients and transfer them to bed or wheelchair or assist them in their routine chores. Patience and compassion: It takes a whole lot of emotional stability and patience to aid lonely patients who may be struggling with depressive thoughts. A knack for hygiene and cleanliness: Well this is a no-brainer. Cleanliness is a pre- requisite for health. Attention to detail: It is very important to be attentive and vigilant as a home health aide in order to look for all warning signs and rush the patient to the hospital whenever the need be. Home health aide Salary: The remuneration of your job as a home health aide is both in form of cash as well as remuneration. You may either earn on a daily basis if you freelance or on a monthly salary if you are associated with a healthcare establishment. For a fixed salary job, pay packages are an average of Rs. 20000- Rs. 25000 per month and depend on the city you work in as well as the working hours. Freelance per day assignments also draw an average of nearly Rs. 800 per day.

3. Night assignments are usually paid more but again this varied greatly on the city and responsibilities involved. How to be a Home Health Aide in India: To be a home health aide in India you need to take up a skill-based training that trains you on aspects of sick, elderly and disabled care. The training is usually a mix of aspects of human anatomy, disease basics and training of specialized tasks such as administering injections, looking out for red signals indicating poor health, recording the vital signs, safely moving patients to and from wheelchairs, beds, etc and also communication techniques for emotional support. In India, The Smart academy offers a certificate course that trains you to be a home health Aide. It is a well-designed comprehensive course that trains you on all aspects of patient care and equips you with employability skills. After this 4 month course, you are also offered job assistance in order to work in the field. You need to be a minimum of 20 years and should have passed class 8th in order to enrol for the course. Source: http://www.articles.studio9xb.com/Articles-of-2018/you-guide-career-home-health- aide