JOB DESCRIPTION: HOME HEALTH AIDE
Status: Non-Exempt
Reports To: Registered Nurse / Licensed Practical Nurse
Supervises: None
Position Summary
The Home Health Aide provides personal care and related support services to patients in the home under the supervision of a Registered Nurse or Licensed Practical Nurse. The role requires professionalism, compassion, reliability, and the ability to follow care instructions accurately.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
- Provide safe, courteous, and competent personal care to patients in their homes.
- Assist with bathing, shampooing, grooming, skin care, foot care, oral care, and perineal care.
- Assist with toileting, emptying and rinsing ostomy appliances and external urinary devices, as permitted by agency policy.
- Assist with positioning, transfers, ambulation, range-of-motion exercises, turning, and use of proper body mechanics and approved equipment.
- Assist with feeding, meal preparation related to patient care, and other household tasks incidental to personal care visits.
- Assist with self-administered medications only as permitted by agency policy and applicable law.
- Observe, report, and document changes in the patient’s condition promptly to the supervising nurse or therapy staff.
- Record patient care information accurately and timely in home health aide progress notes.
- Maintain patient rights, privacy, dignity, and confidentiality at all times.
- Follow infection control procedures, universal precautions, and agency safety policies.
- Respond appropriately to emergencies and follow agency emergency procedures.
- Communicate effectively with patients, family members, caregivers, and agency staff.
- Demonstrate timely responsiveness, professionalism, courtesy, and compassion in all customer interactions.
- Perform other related duties as assigned.
Qualifications
- Successful completion of an approved Home Health Aide training program and certification, if required by law or agency policy.
- High school diploma or GED preferred.
- Minimum of six months to one year of experience in personal care, nursing home, hospital, or home health setting preferred.
- Current TB test and health screening as required by agency policy.
- Good physical and mental condition sufficient to perform job duties.
- Strong interpersonal, communication, and observation skills.
- Ability to follow instructions accurately and work independently within assigned scope of practice.
- Demonstrated integrity, sound judgment, initiative, and professionalism.
Physical and Environmental Demands
- Must be able to hear, see, speak, sit, stand, bend, stoop, climb stairs, and lift up to 50–75 pounds.
- Must be able to adapt to a variety of home and community environments.
- Must be able to travel and drive in various weather conditions.