Everything you need to know about health care aides
If a senior or a person of any age living with a disability is in need of home care, the Foothills Home Services team can help. We provide high-quality, innovative, affordable home care in Calgary and the surrounding areas. This includes palliative care, assistance at home, companionship, and more. Some of the home care services we provide are delivered by health care aides. Here’s what you need to know about this highly rewarding and important profession.
What is a health care aide?
As explained on the Alberta Health Services website, a health care aide provides direct care, personal assistance, and support to patients who are elderly, ill, or disabled. Health care aides are sometimes also referred to as home support aides, home support workers, and residential support workers. A health care aide (HCA) will typically work at a hospital, health care center, long-term care facility, or private residence as they provide home care. As part of their work, a health care aide may also spend a bit of time outside the care setting when they meet with their supervisor, or carry out administrative tasks, for example.
What does a health care aide do?
Health care aides are a key part of their patients’ daily lives and provide crucial support to patients in between visits to their primary healthcare providers. In fact, health care aides help patients follow their doctors’ orders in order to promote and preserve their well-being. In addition to making sure someone in need of care takes their medication as prescribed by their doctor or as instructed by their pharmacist, here are some other things a health care aide does:
Provide assistance with personal hygiene-related activities such as bathing, grooming, and dressing.
Educate the patient on proper nutrition, and help them prepare healthy meals.
Provide simple wound care.
Assist with exercises.
Assist with bed transfers, help the patient get to and from their wheelchair.
Measure and record a patient’s vital signs, and collect samples for testing.
Update medical staff, such as nurses, on the patient’s condition.
Spend time with the patient (this can include leisure activities such as reading, playing games, and going to the park).
Help the patient carry out errands such as grocery shopping, going to the bank, and going to doctor’s appointments.
Perform light housekeeping duties, and help the patient do laundry.
Health care aides carry out a wide variety of tasks and improve the quality of life not just for patients, but for a patient’s loved ones too. Having a health care aide provide care can make it easier for the person in need of care to maintain their independence. If this care is provided in a private residence, it can mean that the person in need of care gets to remain in a comfortable and familiar environment - their own home. Importantly, a health care aide is also a major source of social interaction and companionship for a patient. On top of all these benefits to the patient, a health care aide also helps relieve some of the burden placed on family caregivers.
How to become a health care aide
If you want to become a health care aide in Alberta, here’s what you need to know. The Alberta government developed and owns the HCA Provincial Curriculum, which licensed post-secondary institutions use to educate people who want to be health care aides. As listed on the Government of Alberta website, if you want to become a health care aide in Alberta, there are 4 ways you can do this.
Complete a health care aide (HCA) program in Alberta.
Obtain an Alberta HCA certificate if you have previous education/training comparable to the Alberta HCA program.
Complete a Substantial Equivalence Assessment if you have educational experience similar to a health care aide, were an internationally educated nurse, health care provider, or are a nursing student.
Education through employers. The employer uses the Provincial Competency Assessment Profile tool to assess skills and competencies and provide health care aides with appropriate education.
It’s also worth noting the requirements for licensed health care aide programs. These include digital literacy and English language requirements.
Why become a health care aide?
There are many reasons to consider becoming a health care aide, from helping people to enjoying a flexible schedule. Here are a few reasons why someone might choose a career as a health care aide.
Health care aides help people
Health care aides have the opportunity to make a positive difference in people’s lives and in their wider community. Health Care Aides provide much-needed support and companionship for people who are elderly, living with disabilities, dealing with chronic illnesses, and recovering at home after surgical procedures.
Health care aides have a lot of opportunities for professional growth
As a health care aide, there are lots of opportunities to learn and grow, and there are many training opportunities available! Some of the ways that a health care aide can improve their skills are to take continuing education courses, specialize in a niche, work under a mentor, and learn from workshops.
Health care aides are in high demand
Canada’s population is increasing, and there are more people in the later stages of life in need of assistance from health care aides. As the population continues to increase and age, the demand for health care aides is expected to grow exponentially. This growth is expected to happen into the foreseeable future, meaning there is thought to be great job security for health care aides.
Health care aides have a flexible schedule
Health care aides can often choose the times they would like to work and have the opportunity to work during the day, in the evening, on weekdays, or weekends. The flexibility health care aides have doesn’t stop there - health care aides are involved in the decision on which clients they work with because it’s necessary for the good of both the patient and the health care aide that the HCA and their patient are a good match.
