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Home Health Care Employment

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Home Health Care: The Toughest Job You'll Ever Love

Home health care involves caring for people who are too physically, emotionally or mentally weak to work for themselves. Many people who work in this industry say that it is the hardest thing that they have ever done - but that they wouldn't trade it for anything.

Getting employment in home health care means working for a certified home health or hospice agency. Or, it can mean working for one of various public and private agencies that provide home care services.

This lens provides you with an overview about what to expect working in the home health care industry.

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What to Expect Working in Home Health Care

Helping Out Around the Home is What it is All AboutOnce you get a job in home health care, you will be in charge of a number of duties - all of which relate to the health and well-being of an elderly or disabled person.

As a home care aide or home health aide, your duties might include meal preparation, administering medicine, helping with laundry, getting dressed, giving baths, and helping with bedtime preparation.

You might be assigned to the same person for days, weeks, months or even years. Often, you will visit multiple persons in the same day by making your rounds.

Home health aides, in particular, also observe and record certain health-related aspects of the person for whom they are caring. In this case, they will work under the direct supervision of a medical practitioner such as a nurse or doctor.

The 7 Hardest Things about This Job

Working in the home health care industry is not for everyone. Here are the 7 hardest things about working in this industry:
  1. Your back can get sore, especially if you have to lift people into and out of bed.
  2. The people for whom you care may not always have a cheery attitude.
  3. You may face unpleasant sites and smells from time to time.
  4. Some of your patients may die of old age or disease while under your care.
  5. You could get minor infections due to being exposed to the diseases of patients.
  6. You could work in homes that are untidy and depressing.
  7. You often work alone.

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Helping Others is One of the Biggest Keys to Job Satisfaction

Helping Others is One of the Most Rewarding Things You Can Do

The 7 Greatest Things about This Job

Of course, working in the home health care industry as a personal care aide, home care aide or health care aide has its perks. Here are the top 7 perks.
  1. You can find part-time positions if you are still going to school, have another job, or take care of your own family.
  2. There is plenty of work in this field, since there are millions of people who need care each day.
  3. Job security is excellent: the average age of the population is rising each year. Home health aide work will be in demand forever.
  4. There is nothing much more rewarding than helping a person in need. You will be providing services for them that they could never do by themselves.
  5. You do not need a high school diploma, in most cases.
  6. You can get trained for licensure with just 75 hours of training, along with a competency evaluation or a state certification program.
  7. Pay is higher than for many other jobs for people with similar educational levels. Average wages for home care aides are $9.22/hr., while average wages for home health aides are $9.84/hr.

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OutdoorExplorer

Everett is a lover of all things travel, outdoors, and adventure. When he's not working as a freelance writer, he's traveling around the U.S. and beyo... more »

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