An Acdis article reports that the healthcare sector comprised 17.2 million jobs throughout the United States in 2023. Many of these people are doctors, nurses, surgeons, and pharmacy technicians.
Of course, there are also personal care aides (PCAs). A personal care aide may not sound like someone working a healthcare job.
It may sound like someone who assists with daily tasks and business needs -- like a personal secretary. Understandably, you may ask, what are personal care assistant duties, and what does this job entail?
We want to remove any misunderstandings about what this job involves. Keep reading, and we'll clarify care assistant responsibilities and how they benefit older adults.
A personal care assistant aids people unable to perform everyday tasks due to disability, age-related issues, illness, or mental issues. Before continuing, we'd like to clarify that younger people use PCAs too.
You don't have to be elderly to have a PCA help you. These healthcare workers also aid children and young adults. It's just that our article focuses on older adults.
Regardless of age, these people provide essential assistance and improve the quality of life of those they work with. Support by personal care aides differs greatly depending on who they're helping.
It's common for PCAs to work in private homes. However, they also work in assisted living communities and nursing homes.
The duties of a PCA are often part of a care recipient's prearranged care plan. For example, they may help with ambulatory issues (walking and transferring from beds to chairs) and bathing.
The role of caregivers is wide and varied. Their main focus, as mentioned, is helping their clients with daily tasks. Personal hygiene assistance is a primary duty and includes:
Another task PCAs help with is meal preparation. They make meals for their clients according to their dietary needs. PCAs may even feed recipients or their care if necessary. They'll also do post-meal clean-up.
Mobility aid is another one of many personal care assistant duties. We brought this up at the beginning of the article. This is where PCAs help clients walk and move from place to place.
Medication management is when a PCA assists with taking prescription drugs. They'll keep their clients on schedule and ensure they take the correct dosages.
Light housekeeping falls under care assistant responsibilities. They may clean, do laundry, and dishwashing. The last of the daily tasks of care assistants is offering emotional support and companionship.
Depending on the severity of their condition, the care aide may be one of the people a person sees the most. The PCA must be friendly and willing to become close with their client.
One of the most important personal care assistant duties is to work alongside a client's doctor to ensure their health. PCAs communicate patients' needs with their doctors and other healthcare providers.
They may take vital signs and record the results. The PCA may clean exam rooms, prep rooms, and work areas. They'll often escort patients from waiting rooms and exam rooms.
Another role of caregivers is scheduling doctor's visits. The PCA might arrange an appointment for their client. Despite all this, PCAs are typically unlicensed.
Personal care aides don't have the same level of training as certified nursing assistants (CNAs). A PCA wouldn't give direct medical care. Instead, they assist with auxiliary tasks so nurses and doctors can complete other tasks.
Becoming a personal care aide requires a combination of hard and soft skills. Hard skills are measurable and often directly applied to the job in question -- soft skills are personal qualities a person can use for the job.
Here are the hard skills a PCA would need:
Here are soft skills that would come in handy when working as a PCA:
Being a personal care assistant requires technical ability and emotional intelligence. These healthcare workers must know how to work intelligently in a pinch while giving their clients warm, caring support.
One challenge PCAs must deal with is the long, irregular hours they work. Oftentimes, personal care aides have poor work-life balance, higher levels of stress, and exhaustion.
It's common for a PCA to spend long amounts of time on the road or working with more than one client. Arranging personal time off or spending time with family and friends can be difficult.
Another challenge is if a client refuses care from the personal assistant. Resistance is usually the result of fear that they're losing their independence.
The personal care assistant must create a connection and ensure the client understands they only want to help -- not remove their independence. Communication and validating feelings are important.
Another tough challenge can be dealing with a client's declining health. Declining client health can be difficult in that it can emotionally affect the PCA and impact how easy it can be to do other duties.
The PCA must find the right balance between professionalism and compassion. Sudden changes in a client's health aren't unusual during this time -- personal care aides must be prepared for this.
The duties of PCAs vary and require both technical skills and emotional sensitivity. Personal care assistant duties are vital in ensuring safety and comfort in assisted living communities.
LakeHouse Lake Mills is a smaller, more cozy assisted living community. Our staff meets the needs of every resident with their individualized care plans.
They are aided by a 24-hour nurse who provides clinical oversight and coordinates care. Medical care aside, LakeHouse Lake Mills is pet-friendly and offers various activities to enrich residents' minds and bodies.
Contact us for more information about our community. Ask our staff how our veterans discount program can help you save on your first month with us.