Home Health Care Aides Description OES Code: 660110 Home Health Aides care for elderly, convalescent, or handicapped person in home of patient. Perform duties for patient such as changing bed linen; preparing meals; assisting in and out of bed; bathing, dressing, and grooming; and administering oral medications under doctors' orders or direction of nurse. Includes Certified Home Health Aides, Certified Nurse Assistants, caring for patients in their homes, and uncertified Home Health Care Workers. CA Wages/hour median range New, no experience: $6.75 minimum – $12.00 New, experienced: $7.52 minimum – $14.00 3 yrs+ experience: $9.00 minimum – $16.00 Aides may work full time or on a part time intermittent schedule, depending on what the patient needs. Full-time certified health aides normally visit five or six patients per day and spend about one to two hours with each patient per visit. Many agencies hire only "on call" hourly workers with no benefits except for paid mileage. Other agencies hire aides on a full time or part time basis with a regular benefit package and a guaranteed minimum number of hours. Local Wages • CCOIS Survey • OES Survey Hours & Benefits Depending on the hiring agency, the benefits for full time workers usually include paid vacation, sick leave, and medical and dental insurance. Some employers also pay for vision, life insurance, and retirement plans. Employment Trends Employment 1996 19,120 Projected Employment 2006 36,900 Growth Rate 1996-2006 93% Openings due to Separations 3,780 Employment Trends by California County The employment outlook for experienced aides is very good. There are a lot of opportunities for job seekers who want only part time or temporary jobs. The employment outlook for experienced aides is very good. Home Health Aides is one of the fastest growing occupation in the State. This above-average rate of growth is expected to continue because the elderly population continues to get bigger and live longer, and home care is less expensive than hospital care. The number of people living well into their eighties continues to grow. This group usually has health problems that need at least some medical care help. Advancement There aren't many opportunities for promotion in this job. With more training, aides can become Medical Assistants, Licensed Vocational Nurses or Registered Nurses. Getting the Job & Other Information Job seekers should apply at Visiting Nurses Associations in their area or private agencies or organizations that hire Home Health Aides. The yellow pages of the local telephone company can be a good source of employment leads for prospective workers. Additional help can be found at the local California Employment Development Department offices. For current job listings, browse CalJOBS or America's Job Bank.

Click arrow at bottom left of image to begin. Requires QuickTime Education and Training To work as a Home Health Aide in California, you must get the Home Health Aide certificate, issued by the State Department of Health Services. This certificate is earned by completing 120 hours of specialized training in areas such as basic nutrition, meal planning and preparation, home cleaning tasks, and techniques for bathing, turning, and transferring the patient. Other training deals with emotional problems caused by illness, the aging process, and behavior of the elderly. This training is available from certain community colleges and adult schools. In general, finishing high school is not necessary to get work as a Home Health Aide. Other requirements of the job include having a valid California driver's license and access to a car, passing a pre-employment physical, and sympathy for and interest in caring for the sick at home. Skills & Other Requirements Home Health Aides work in patients' homes. They must be able to bend down, lift, and do other things associated with cleaning and cooking. They must also be able to handle patient suffering that might be due to physical or emotional problems at home. Some typical duties of Home Health Aides include helping the patient take a bath, use the toilet or bed pan, and to move around. They check pulse and breathing rates; they change bandages; and they help patients take their medicine. They also do cleaning for the safety and comfort of the patient. They clean a patient's room, kitchen, and bathroom, do the laundry, and change bed sheets and pillow cases. Aides also plan meals (including special diets), shop for food, and fix meals. On top of their regular duties, they give patients emotional support and teach them how to get along independently. They show patients how to make a healthy meal on a low budget and ways that patients can make due and take care of themselves in spite of their sickness or disability. The aides keep patients mentally healthy and alert by having conversations with them. They help coordinate patient care with other members of the health care team. They report changes in the patient's condition to the nurse supervisor and keep records of patient care. References Note: The references below (and/or on other parts of this page) will link to pages on the internet outside the Career Video system. California Occupational Guide: Home Health Aides 461 Related Occupation: Registered Nurses # Nurse Practitioners #29, Licensed Vocational Nurses #313, Nurse Aides & Orderlies #442, Physical Therapy Aides & Assistants #451 Training: California State Training Inventory © State of California EDD/LMID, US Department of Labor Unless indicated otherwise, wage data is based on Statewide aggregated CCOIS survey responses between 1995 and 1997. Questions or Comments? Contact us.