• Numerous job openings will result from very fast employment growth and high replacement needs.
• Education required for entry-level jobs is generally minimal, but earnings are low.

Personal and home care aides(also called homemakers, caregivers, companions, and personal attendants(provide housekeeping and routine personal care services. They clean clients’ houses, do laundry, and change bed linens. Aides may plan meals (including special diets), shop for food, and cook. Aides also may help clients move from bed, bathe, dress, and groom. Some accompany clients outside the home, serving as a guide and companion.

Personal and home care aides also provide instruction and psychological support. They may advise families and patients on such things as nutrition, cleanliness, and household tasks. Aides also may assist in toilet training a severely mentally handicapped child, or just listen to clients talk about their problems.

In home care agencies, it usually is a registered nurse, a physical therapist, or a social worker who assigns specific duties and supervises personal and home care aides. Aides keep records of services performed and of clients’ condition and progress. They report changes in the client’s condition to the supervisor or case manager. Aides work in cooperation with other healthcare professionals, including registered nurses, therapists, and other medical staff.

Surroundings differ from case to case. Some homes are neat and pleasant, while others are untidy or depressing. Some clients are pleasant and cooperative; others are angry, abusive, depressed, or otherwise difficult.

Personal and home care aides generally work on their own, with periodic visits by their supervisor. They receive detailed instructions explaining when to visit clients and what services to perform. Many aides work part time, and weekend hours are common.

Aides are individually responsible for getting to the client’s home. They may spend a good portion of the working day traveling from one client to another. They are particularly susceptible to falls inside and outside clients' homes and injuries resulting from all types of overexertion when assisting patients. Mechanical lifting devices that are available in institutional settings are seldom available in patients’ homes.

Successful personal and home care aides like to help people and do not mind hard work. They should be responsible, compassionate, emotionally stable, and cheerful. In addition, aides should be tactful, honest, and discreet because they work in private homes. Aides also must be in good health. A physical examination including State-mandated tests, such as those for tuberculosis, may be required.

Advancement for personal and home care aides is limited. In some agencies, workers start out performing homemaker duties, such as cleaning. With experience and training, they may take on personal care duties.

The number of elderly people is projected to rise substantially. This age group is characterized by mounting health problems requiring some assistance. In addition to the elderly, there will be an increasing reliance on home care for patients of all ages. This trend reflects several developments: efforts to contain costs by moving patients out of hospitals and nursing facilities as quickly as possible; the realization that treatment can be more effective in familiar surroundings rather than clinical surroundings; and the development and improvement of medical technologies for in-home treatment.

In addition to job openings created by the increase in demand for these workers, replacement needs are expected to produce numerous openings. Turnover is high, a reflection of the relatively low skill requirements, low pay, and high emotional demands of the work. For these same reasons, many people are reluctant to seek these jobs. Therefore, persons who are interested in this work and suited for it should have excellent job opportunities, particularly those with experience or training as personal care, home health, or nursing aides.

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