22 Feb What are Personal Care Assistant Duties?
Introduction
If you or your loved one need extra help and have started looking into home care services, then you might have heard of personal care assistants. These caregivers can provide a lot of valuable help based on your individual needs. They’re a popular option for people who want to age in place or receive care within the comfort of their own homes.
Whether you’re interested in hiring a personal care assistant or you’d like to pursue a job in caregiving, this blog will walk you through key things you need to know about the duties and skills required in this field.
What is a Personal Care Assistant?
A personal care assistant is a caregiver who helps with daily activities of living, such as grocery shopping, light housekeeping, and transportation to appointments. The main goal is to help clients maintain their independence without having to seek care outside of their own homes.
These trained caregivers provide everything from short-term care, assisting with recovery or temporary needs – to long-term care, providing senior home care or specialized care for individuals with dementia or Alzheimer’s.
What are Personal Care Assistant Duties?
While care often depends on specific client needs, the daily duties of this role generally include the following everyday tasks:
- Personal hygiene assistance (e.g. help with bathing, toileting, and grooming)
- Transfer and ambulation assistance throughout the home
- Home management, cleaning, and laundry
- Transportation
- Assistance with light range-of-motion or muscle-strengthening exercises
- Assistance with eating, meal preparation, and grocery shopping
- Dressing assistance
- Aiding with self-administered medications
Requirements & Skills
The number one trait a personal care assistant should possess is a compassionate and positive attitude. Clients rely on these individuals to help them perform everyday tasks, so caregivers must be able to provide services with integrity, trust, and honesty.
Additionally, people in this field should be well-organized and reliable. They have to remember appointments, medications, and to-do’s for clients, in addition to managing their own personal needs outside of work. While keeping a clean household is important, personal care assistants also must be proactive in preventing falls or injuries by removing clutter and potential hazards. There needs to be a high level of commitment to health and safety above anything else.
Lastly, patience and communication are a must! Clients may not always be able to clearly verbalize what they need, and there is a lot of pressure that comes with caring for the needs of another individual. Maintaining a clear, level head and always openly communicating are essential to providing good care.
Personal Care Assistance Services at En Su Casa Caregivers
At En Su Casa, our Personal Assistance Services include all the general activities of daily living that we covered in this blog, plus a thorough in-home care assessment to evaluate each client’s needs and preferences. Prior to beginning services, we conduct an in-home safety check to identify potential hazards and offer solutions. We also provide frequent in-home evaluations and ongoing caregiver supervision. Our Personal Assistance Services are also fully covered by Medicaid for clients that are eligible.
If you’re interested in learning more about our Personal Assistance Services or in joining our caregiver team, please contact us today! Call 210- 922-2960 to speak directly with one of our team members and we can help with any questions you may have.
