Certified Home
Health Aide Classes at Alia Health Career Services
A Certified Home Health Aide (CHHA) may also be known as a Caregiver or
Homemaker. A CHHA provides basic, personal care and
health-related services to a variety of individuals/patients who
require more assistance than family and/or friends are able to
provide. CHHAs are part of a category of occupations that is
commonly referred to as "direct care workers." The services/care
that a Certified Home Health Aide provides depends upon their specialty
area.
A registered nurse (RN), physical therapist (PT), other health
professional, social worker, or Home Health Agency such as Alia
Healthcare generally gives assignments and duties to a Certified Home
Health Aide. A CHHA is responsible for recording services performed on
every patient, as well as the patient's condition and progress.
They also record and report any changes in a patient's condition to the
case manager or supervisor and also discuss observations with them.
The types of patients with whom a Certified Home Health aide may work
include:
•
Elderly
•
Physically disabled
•
Terminally ill
•
Convalescent persons
•
Hospice patients
•
Individuals with long-term illness
•
Individuals with mental disabilities (e.g.,
Alzheimer's
disease)
•
Children with mental illness
Certified
Home Health Aides generally work in a patient's private home,
Residential Care Facilities, or Long Term Care Facilities by assisting
with, and performing, a variety of duties that include:
•
Checking temperature, pulse, and respiration rates
•
Changing (surgical) dressings
•
Assisting with prescribed exercises
•
Helping to move patients in and out of bed, chairs, baths,
wheelchairs, and autos
•
Administering prescribed medications
•
Providing psychological and emotional support
•
Reading aloud to, or conversing with, patients (for mental
health maintenance)
•
Purchasing and preparing meals (at times following a
prescribed diet)
•
Dressing
•
Grooming
•
Personal hygiene (e.g., bathing)
•
Changing bed linens
Certified Home Health Aides also perform a variety of housekeeping
chores such as cleaning, laundry, and grocery shopping. Depending
on their assignment, a CHHA may be responsible for picking up
prescriptions and/or transporting a patient to scheduled doctors'
appointments, or any other venue the patient wishes to go.
Job Characteristics
CHHAs work both part-time and full-time hours. Many may also work
nights, evenings, weekends, and holidays for patients who require
round-the-clock care. Certified Home Health Aides are typically
employed by home health agencies such as Alia Healthcare Services.
Typically Certified Home Health Aides have heavy workloads that include
physical demands such as walking and standing for long periods of
time. Also, because a CHHA may be required to move clients from
one location to another and assist in standing and walking, it is very
important that they learn and practice correct procedures for lifting
and moving patients.
Certified Home Health Aides work with a variety of patients whereby the
duration of each assignment may last anywhere from a few hours to
several days or weeks. During any given day, many CHHAs will
drive from one patient’s home to the next. There are also CHHAs
who work with the same patient at their residence for many months or
even years.
While physical and emotional demands are part of this occupation, most
CHHAs find it gratifying to enhance the lives and help those in need.
Individuals in this profession must possess and exude the following
characteristics, attributes, and abilities:
•
Patience
•
Dependability
•
Precision and accuracy
•
Emotional stability
•
Sensitivity
•
Honesty
•
Discretion
•
Strong communications abilities
•
Good physical health (including strength to lift, carry,
push, pull)
•
Service oriented
•
Socially perceptive
•
Problem recognition/sensitivity/solving
•
Ability to work as part of a team
Employment Outlook
The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics (USDL BLS)
projects that overall employment for Home Health Aides is expected "to
grow 50 percent between 2008 and 2018, which is much faster than the
average for all occupations." Growth will vary between these
individual occupations. Furthermore, according to the USDL BLS,
for Home Health Aides specifically, the following factors will
contribute to the "much faster than average employment growth:"
•
increasing demand from the aging population for in-home
services
•
cost containment efforts focused on moving patients (as
quickly as possible) out of nursing care
facilities and
hospitals that have higher inpatient costs
•
preference by consumers for in-home care services
•
medical technology advancements for in-home treatment
Certified Home Health Aide Training
While neither a high school diploma nor formal education is a
requirement for our Certified Home Health Aide Classes, it is
advantageous for an individual to have at least achieved a high school
diploma or equivalent. Alia Healthcare provides a 60-hour
Certified Home Health Aide Training Class which includes lecture and
laboratory for all of its new hires.
It is important to note that CHHAs who work for employers who receive
Medicare reimbursement must adhere to specific Federal Government
guidelines. As such, CHHAs are required by Federal law to pass a
competency test that covers a wide range of disciplines which is
covered in our CHHA Classes. Furthermore, a Certified Home Health Aide
may seek voluntary certification from the National Association for Home
Care and Hospice (NAHC). Certification as an STNA may be very
useful in Ohio if the candidate wishes to work in a skilled nursing
facility, assisted living facility, residential care facility, or
hospital.
When it comes to advancement, opportunities are limited if you complete
only your CHHA training. So consider taking more classes with us
at Alia Healthcare to further your earning potential such as our STNA
Classes, and our Certified Medication Aide Classes which requires more
formal education and training. Most CHHAs eventually become
STNAs, Certified Medication Aides (MA-Cs), LPNs, or RNs.
Major Employers
If not self-employed, CHHAs will find employment with state or county
welfare agencies, Home Health agencies such as Alia Healthcare, social
assistance agencies, health care services, and nursing and residential
care facilities.
Our Certified
Home Health Aide Training Program Includes Courses in:
•
Geriatric Skills
•
HIV/AIDS Awareness Training
•
Introduction to Body Systems
•
Introduction to Nutrition
•
Introduction to Physical Therapy
•
Patient Communication
•
Patient Mobility
•
Patient Personal Care
•
Recording Vital Signs
•
Respiratory Equipment Training
•
Understanding Vital Signs
•
Uses of Basic Laboratory Equipment
Resource for Home Health Aides
• National Association for Home Care and Hospice
(NAHC)
If
you are looking for Certified Home Health Aid training classes in
Columbus OH call us
today at 614-847-3617 to schedule a free no obligation tour.
