How to Train to Be a Home Health Aide
Home health aides provide care for people who are unable to take care of themselves in the home setting. Aides are typically employed by state or county welfare agencies, or private home health-care agencies. The services an aide provides can include personal duties such as bathing, grooming, dressing and basic nursing tasks, as well as chores inside and outside the client's home. The duties and the length of the assignments are determined by the contract between the aide or agency and the client. Nearly all home health aide positions are considered entry-level jobs. If you are a cheerful, positive person who can work with little or no direct supervision and you possess a professional demeanor, this could be the job for you.
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Instructions
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Narrow your search for training based on whether or not you will specialize in a form of care. Many agencies base assignments on an aide's ability to care for a client with specific problems: hospice patients, people with paralysis, those with diminished mental ability (Alzheimer's or moderate retardation, for example) or those who require short-term postoperative assistance.
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Investigate health-aide training at nearby community colleges and hospitals. Many offer short-term, low-cost certification programs that will improve your ability to advance in the health-aide field. These courses will teach you how to best maintain a safe, clean and healthy environment for your clients and yourself, and provide you with credentials that attest to your competence in providing care for clients.
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Research regulations that govern health-aide workers in your community. While health aides typically do not require licensing, some federal, state or local ordinances may apply before you can be employed. Be prepared to pass a background check for criminal or abuse activity. Drug screening may also be a condition for employment.
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Tips & Warnings
Working through an agency can be helpful. Your employer negotiates contracts, handles payments, insurance and other benefits for you, and typically has an insurance policy or bond that protects you from indemnity.
Some clients might need you to raise or lower them from chairs, beds or bathtubs, so consider whether you have the strength to assist someone when you accept an assignment.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2008, the salary for nonspecialized home health aides who work normal business hours averages $9.47 per hour, or $19,690 per year. Additional training and specialization (for example, nursing aid training and certification, rehabilitation training, residential aide training), or willingness to work nonstandard hours (evenings, weekends, or even live-in for extended periods), may increase your salary.
