What Is a CNA's Role As a Home Health Aide?
Certified nursing assistants generally work in institutional settings such as hospitals, nursing homes and long-term care facilities. However, CNAs can also work as home health aides, providing health care services in the patient's own home.
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Types of Patients
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Home health nursing assistants may assist a variety of patients who need care in the home rather than in a hospital or other health care facility, such as the elderly, hospice patients, the mentally ill, patients with long-term illnesses and the disabled.
Function
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CNAs do a great deal of personal patient care in addition to helping with some types of medical treatments. These are generally things the patient has trouble performing by themselves, such as feeding, bathing, dressing, walking, and exercising.
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Considerations
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Home health aides generally cannot prescribe or give medications or injections. However, they usually can help the patient take medications themselves, or hand the patient medications if the medicine has been premeasured.
Features
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Rather than staying in one facility, home health aides may travel to several different patients in different locations on a given day.
Housekeeping
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Home health aides may find themselves being asked to perform some housekeeping and personal errands for patients, such as grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning linens, and providing transportation. Unlike aides in a hospital setting, a home health aide may do such tasks if they are prescribed as part of the patient's care regimen by a registered nurse or some other qualified supervisor, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook.Handbook.
Record Keeping
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Home health aides also keep records of patients progress, diet, and vital statistics. They can take blood pressure and monitor heart rates, and work with therapists and dieticians to ensure patients are following their individualized care plans.
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References
- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Shutr
