In-home health aides help individuals remain at home after an injury or illness, allowing them to lead mostly independent lives. This career path isn’t easy, but it’s rewarding to see your hard work improve your clients’ lives. In this post, we’ll describe in-home health aide jobs, what you can expect, the challenges and benefits of the job, and the qualifications you need.
What Does an In-Home Health Aide Do?
In-home health aides assist people who can’t perform all of their daily tasks on their own, such as people with disabilities or chronic illnesses. In-home health aides help their clients live independently in their own homes.
Tasks in-home health aides complete include:
- Helping with activities of daily living (such as bathing, dressing, eating, and grooming)
- Providing personal care
- Performing light housekeeping tasks (such as laundry, cooking, and light cleaning)
- Activities of daily thriving (such as running errands, grocery shopping, or picking up medications)
- Monitoring the health of clients to report back to their care team
- Reminding clients to take their medication at the correct times and documenting it
All your daily tasks ensure your client can stay secure and relaxed in their home. The goal is to help them live as independently as possible at home.
Being a home health aide comes with a lot of responsibility, and like with any other career, you can expect to face some challenges along the way.
Challenges In-Home Health Aides May Face
In-home health aides face challenges, just like people in any other profession. If you choose this career path, it’s important to be aware of the obstacles you can expect to face.
In-home health aides face challenges, including:
- Atypical Work Schedules. In-home health aides juggle a lot of different clients who may need care at different times throughout the day. The schedule can be more irregular and challenging than a typical 9-5.
- Starting Pay. If you’re an in-home health aide, you can expect to earn anywhere from $9 – $20, depending on your certifications, location, and experience. It’s essential to understand the pay, especially when starting out, so you can decide if this career is right for you.
- Health Effects. You can expect to encounter physical stressors, such as lifting, standing for long periods, and bending over or crouching down at times. You’ll be handling chores and helping your clients move physically, so your body can become exhausted at the end of your workday.
- Client Issues. Client relationships are usually beneficial, but you may have to deal with emotional stressors, like difficult clients or family members. It can also be challenging to watch your client struggle or even decline in health.
Being an in-home health aide can be challenging, but it’s also an incredibly rewarding experience. The benefits of this career path outweigh the negatives by far.
Benefits of Being an In-Home Health Aide
Being an in-home health aid is a gratifying experience. You’ll get to help others and make a difference in the lives of those you care for. In addition to helping your clients, there are several benefits associated with this type of work.
Benefits of providing home care include:
- Flexible Hours. One of the most attractive aspects of this role is that it offers flexible hours. You can choose when and how much time you want to work each week, allowing you to set your own schedule. This flexibility makes it an ideal career for those who have other commitments outside of work, like earning a degree.
- Developing Relationships. Developing relationships based on trust and compassion is helpful for your clients and you. You’ll feel good about helping others live independently and being part of their lives as they heal. You’ll get to see any progress they make, which will feel like watching a friend achieve their goals.
- Job Satisfaction. You’ll feel satisfied with what you do every day, and you’ll have a sense of pride knowing that you’re helping people live fuller lives. With purpose and meaning behind your job, you’ll enjoy each day knowing you’re making a positive impact on people when they need it most.
- Job Stability. With more seniors aging and a lack of caregivers, we’re seeing a “care gap.” This gap means there aren’t enough caregivers for the number of people who need help—which gives you job stability. The caregiving field needs you.
- Future Job Growth. Being an in-home health aid can be a great way to gain practical experience while you work toward another degree, like nursing. Caregiving is a great career to help you practice interacting with clients as you work toward your career goals.
Being an in-home health aide, you’ll head home at the end of every day, knowing that you impacted multiple lives for the better. That’s why we’re so passionate about in-home caregiving. If you’re the type of person who loves to help people, you’ll be an excellent fit for the job.
Hiring Qualifications for In-Home Health Aide Jobs
If you’re interested in becoming an in-home health aide, there are some qualifications to get under your belt before applying.
Qualifications you’ll need:
- Age Requirement. Most caregiving agencies will require you to be at least 18 years old.
- Education. You need a high school diploma or a GED.
- Training. Obtain a home health aide (CHHA) certification to improve your application and resume.
- Personal Attributes. You should be compassionate, patient, attentive, reliable, and hard-working.
- Skills. You’ll be helping your clients with daily tasks, so you should be skilled in all these areas — such as providing care to others, housekeeping, errands, and monitoring health. You should also have great interpersonal skills, allowing you to interact well with your clients.
Once you have all the qualifications, all you have to do is apply.
In-Home Health Aides in Oklahoma: Apply to Providence
We’re looking for in-home health aides who want to make a positive impact on the lives of others. Join our Providence Home Care team, where you will move with purpose every day. Start your career at Providence today.