Ohio State Certified Home Health Aide Training

Home health aides perform a variety of tasks.

Home health aides play an important role in the care of persons who are elderly, disabled or incapacitated. A high school diploma or the equivalency and training are all that is required to begin the process of becoming a home health aide in Ohio. Training is state specific, so if you are interested in becoming a home health aide, you will need to check with your state to determine what the training requirements are. In Ohio, home health aides are certified after completing the training requirements and passing the certification test.

Course Description

Training is a requirement for certification as a home health aide.

In Ohio, you must have 75 hours of training if you plan to work for a provider that bills Medicare. The training consists of classroom and hands-on training. The classroom training, which is extensive, consists of home care legal and ethical issues, work ethics, aide and client safety, confidentiality issues, blood borne pathogens, defining abuse, infection control and precautions, and nutrition. In addition, the course covers the aging process, anatomy and physiology, therapy (occupational, physical, respiratory, speech), the spiritual aspects of the client and the process of death.

Hands-On Training

Hands-on training prepare home health aides for real life situations.

The purpose of the hands-on training is to demonstrate skills in at least 17 core areas of care. Registered nurses supervise the hands-on training and assess the prospective home health aide's skills. The hands-on training includes techniques for transferring clients, activities of daily living (feeding, dressing, skin and mouth care), taking vital signs, making beds, range of motion exercises, proper hand washing, and techniques for applying and removing protective equipment. After classroom and hands-on training, the student must take and pass a written examination

Duties of Home Health Aides

Home health aides perform light household tasks.

The duties of a certified home health aide vary, depending on the client; however, there are some basic duties common to all clients. A home health aide does light housekeeping, such as, sweeping, washing dishes, washing and folding clothes, and preparing meals. Home health aides also assist clients with activities of daily living, grocery shop and small errands. Home health aides usually work for an agency. The agency requires them to monitor the client and complete reports for billing purposes, as well.

Work Hours

The work hours vary and is dependant on the client's needs.

Certified home health aides may have consistent hours or their work hours may vary. Some home health aides work each day for a certain number of hours for the same client. Other aides may work for several clients a week, working a few days with one client and a few days with another. Then there are aides who work for certain clients based on the clients needs. For example, if an aide is skillful in providing services for an Alzheimer client, that aide may be assign only to patients with Alzheimer. Although called home health aides, some provide behavioral intervention services, for students who have a difficult time managing their behavior during school.

Work Environment

Some of the duties of a home health aide are unpleasant.

Aides perform many strenuous duties, such as lifting, pulling and bending. They put themselves at risk of infection or exposure to disease, if they do not adhere to proper safety guidelines. Aides also deal with unpleasant tasks, such as cleaning soiled linen, changing soiled underwear and cleaning up after spills.

References

• Ohio Nursing Schools: CNA Training in Ohio
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Home Health Aides and Personal and Home Care Aides"

Resources

• Care Giver List: Caregiver Training and Education Programs and Schools
• United States Government Printing Office: Title 42--Public Health