Inviting a home health aide into your home is a big move in the right direction. Your home health aide is meant to assist you in several personal and health care activities that may have become difficult due to age, declining health, or illness.
Your certified home health aide is trained in a variety of tasks that range from light household tasks to safe transfer from the bed to wheelchairs or other mobility equipment. Before your first day of care or even before you decide whether hiring your own home health aide is the best fit for your needs and your family, it is important to know exactly what to expect from your HHA.
Your HHA is focused on performing only a specific set of tasks. If you need more intense home health assistance such as infusion therapy or medication administration, you should look into securing a True Care licensed nurse who can perform these tasks.
But for now, we are considering what your True Care home health aide can do for you on a daily basis.
Caring for You
Your HHA can either supervise you as you continue to care for your personal needs such as eating, bathing, and dressing or be more hands-on taking over these tasks for you if they have become difficult to do.
Your HHA can help with showering and bathing, getting in and out of the tub or shower, washing and combing your hair, and oral hygiene. This also provides an opportunity for your aide to check for bed sores, cuts, and bruises that would need to be reported to the nurse and other members of your health team.
Your True Care HHA can also:
Caring for your Nutrition
Nutrition and a prescribed diet are a big part of your health and overall wellbeing. However, preparing tasty, healthy meals may not only be hard but pose a burn hazard to persons who may not be strong enough to make hot meals. Your HHA, especially with the help of the plan of care and dietary instructions, can prepare tasty, hearty meals for you in a way that makes them appetizing and easy to consume. If minor motor skills are an issue, your HHA can assist with feedings and post-meal clean-up.
Caring for your Environment
Your HHA is expected to do simple cleaning tasks that maintain the integrity of your environment. They can change the linens on your bed, and clean up your bedroom and the spaces you occupy mostly – mainly light cleaning and dusting. Heavier cleaning such as cleaning your windows, and cleaning your fridge would have to be carried out by a cleaning service. Bear in mind that your assigned HHA can only clean up after you, not family members or roommates.
Transfer
For persons with mobility challenges, just getting up out of bed presents a long list of challenges and risks, but a certified HHA can minimize the risk of falling and causing even further damage and trauma.
While on shift, your HHA can help you move from the bed to the wheelchair and back. They can also help you turn and position persons who are not able to do so. They can also accompany you on walks and assist with physical therapy exercise plans and range of motion activities.
Medical Help
While your HHA is not a trained nurse, there are aspects of your healthcare that they can assist with. Your True Care HHA can take and record your blood pressure, pulse rate, respiration, and bodyweight.
They cannot administer medication but they can remind you to stick to your regimen and watch to make sure there are no mishaps. They can accompany you to your doctor and therapy appointments, however, transportation arrangements would have to be made by you and your family, your HHA is not allowed to transport you in their personal vehicle or operate your vehicle on your behalf.
Your HHA can also assist with medical equipment, such as wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, canes, and electric chair lifts.
Companionship
In addition to this list of health and personal duties, your compassionate True Care HHA is also a good companion. Your HHA cares about your overall well-being, your feelings, and emotional health. They are your strongest advocate, so feel free to let them know if you are uncomfortable or are feeling bothered by any aspect of your care or life in general, they may be able to identify the relevant resources to improve the situation.
Warm, engaging conversations can reduce loneliness and alleviate negative feelings that are common during illness, advanced aging, and compromised health.
At True Care, we pride ourselves in considering our client’s cultural nuances and have a cadre of HHAs who speak Spanish, Creole, Russian, Cantonese, Mandarin, and Bengali.
Limitations
There are some tasks that your HHA cannot perform under any circumstances and these involve running financial errands, witnessing any legal directives, performing nursing duties, or being in your home without you present.
Your True Care HHA is there to enhance your daily experience, making life more manageable and enjoyable even while you cope with the challenges of aging, illness, and limited mobility. To continue the conversation and see if a certified True Care HHA is the best fit for you at this time, feel free to contact us to see how we can bring care to your home fill out our short form or give us a call at 718-854-8783. We can’t wait to hear from you!