If You Won't Do It, Someone Else Will

Our elderly population deserves the same care as the world's children. We can learn so much from those who are generations behind us in age. The elderly have cared for us, taught us the importance of life, fought for our freedom, and showed us nothing but love. Isn't it important to return the favor? Now it is time to show others how we can assist in helping our elderly population by taking care of them the way they did for us in the past. I have chosen to do an interview with a Home Health Aide and provide some supplemental information discussed first on this particular field of interest. My hopes here are to show others the benefits and disadvantages to being a Home Health Aide. This may even help others to understand if this type of field would be the right career choice. Enjoy.

Duties of a Home Health Aide

Home Health Aides have duties that are similar to Nursing Aides. Nursing Aides help care for physically or mentally ill, injured, disabled, or infirm individuals confined to hospitals, nursing care facilities, and mental health settings. The difference between Nursing Aides and Home Health Aides is that Home Health Aides work in patients' homes or residential care facilities. Home health aides help elderly, convalescent, or disabled persons live in their own homes instead of in a health care facility. Under the direction of nursing or medical staff, they provide health-related services, such as administering oral medications.

Like nursing aides, home health aides may check patients' pulse rate, temperature, and respiration rate; help with simple prescribed exercises; keep patients' rooms neat; and help patients to move from bed, bathe, dress, and groom. Occasionally, they change non-sterile dressings, give massages and alcohol rubs, or assist with braces and artificial limbs. Experienced home health aides also may assist with medical equipment such as ventilators, which help patients breathe.

Most Home Health Aides work with elderly or disabled persons who need more extensive care than family or friends can provide. Some help discharged hospital patients who have relatively short-term needs (US Department of Labor).

Working Conditions

Most full-time aides work about 40 hours a week, but, because patients need care 24 hours a day, some aides work evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays. Many work part time. In 2004, 25 percent of aides worked part time compared with 16 percent of all workers. Aides spend many hours standing and walking, and they often face heavy workloads. Aides must guard against back injury because they may have to move patients into and out of bed or help them to stand or walk. Aides also may face hazards from minor infections and major diseases, such as hepatitis, but can avoid infections by following proper procedures.

Aides often have unpleasant duties, such as emptying bedpans and changing soiled bed linens. The patients they care for may be disoriented, irritable, or uncooperative. Psychiatric aides must be prepared to care for patients whose illness may cause violent behavior. While their work can be emotionally demanding, many aides gain satisfaction from assisting those in need.

Home health aides may go to the same patient's home for months or even years. However, most aides work with a number of different patients, each job lasting a few hours, days, or weeks. Home health aides often visit multiple patients on the same day.

Home health aides generally work alone, with periodic visits from their supervisor. They receive detailed instructions explaining when to visit patients and what services to perform. Aides are individually responsible for getting to patients' homes, and they may spend a good portion of the working day traveling from one patient to another. Because mechanical lifting devices available in institutional settings are seldom available in patients' homes, home health aides are particularly susceptible to injuries resulting from overexertion when they assist patients (US Department of Labor).

The Interview

I first should introduce you to a Home Health Aide by the name of Lindsey. She is 25 years old and has been in this field for around 8 years now.

Why did you choose to be a Home Health Aide?

My main reason behind this choice of a career is the satisfaction gained from helping those who sometimes cannot even help themselves. When my grandmother was ill and eventually passed away, it showed me how important it really is to care for our elderly. When they receive the needed care from me, it shows that most of them truly do appreciate what I am doing for them. There are also those who have no family or friends to come visit them. A relationship starts to form between us over time because they become use to seeing me each day and begin to enjoy the company. These relationships truly do elevate to a personal level.

What exactly are your day-to-day activities?

The department that I assist in is the Alzheimer's and Dementia unit. I am responsible for making sure they are fed, showered or bathed, and then dressed. I make sure they are up in the morning and ensure they are off to bed during the night. They often need assistance with walking and exercise. Other things we may do are fun activities that keep their minds engaged; such as, playing trivia games (which I must add that they often have all the answers). We often have meaningful conversations about life, love, history, travel, and our families. They receive honest companionship from someone they can trust.

What are the happiest and saddest experiences for you while working?

My happiest experience is seeing that they appreciate the care given to them. Sometimes they cannot remember their own family (or myself) so it is a happy experience when they actually remember their families.

My saddest experience is watching their health decline, whether it declines slowly or not. It is also sad seeing them slowly loose the memory of those around them; such as, family or friends. Over time it becomes like you are caring for children, but only because many of these people become unable to care for themselves. The elderly sometimes seem so innocent in this stage.

Do you come across those who do not appreciate the care given to them?

Yes. Sometimes there are elderly people who may hit, yell, or refuse the care you trying to give (like showers or bathes, changing clothes, etc.). Some will repeat saying the fact that they want to die, they hate the world and the families that left them behind. I feel they may be like this because of not only their families leaving them, but also the lives they have lived. Sometimes it is just a part of their personality. It can be very stressful, but the best thing to do is just continue giving the care they need. It is also best to ignore the comments, swallow your pride, and walk away.

In what ways does this type of work impact your personal life?

I tend to get stressed out and tired after long shifts. It can be very upsetting to see some of your patients not doing well. I also have a family and juggling this with work is tough sometimes. Some days are good, while other days are not so good.

What kind of personality or characteristics do you think a person needs to be successful in this type of career?

The most important thing to have is patience. I could never stress this enough. You must be kind, willing to help the elderly, be non-discriminate towards the patients (after all, it isn't their fault they are here), and you must be willing to care for male or female patients. You have to be able to handle bodily functions, like when you have a baby; urine, feces, etc. Abuse towards the patients, whether it is verbal or physical, is not tolerated at all. Being a hard worker is very important as the job itself can be demanding.

Being a Home Health Aide can be a stressful but rewarding career. These Aides show us that there are people out there who are willing to do what even families will not do for their elderly. Hopefully this information and interview will help persuade others to join the cause.