What Is the Difference Between a Caregiver & a Home Health Aide?

If you are unable to care for yourself due to rehab or progressive debilitation, various people may visit your home to offer care and services. Two such people are caregivers and home health aides.

Caregivers

• Anyone who offers practical support for someone who cannot care for himself is known as a caregiver. The person might work with children or adults and be a relative or a paid professional.

  Family or "kinship" caregivers are often unpaid. They help with basic support such as dressing, preparing meals and cleaning. Usually a caregiver has an emotional attachment to the person she is helping and it is a labor of love. The caregiver may start out doing minimal assistance and end up devoting a portion of her life to the support of the person. She may live in the home.

Professional Caregivers

• Professional caregivers are often recruited by individuals who need continuing assistance, either because of age or infirmity. The client may need temporary assistance because of a recoverable condition such as a surgery or injury. Professional caregivers may also be called attendants or even companions. Their job descriptions vary according the needs of the client, but often they include personal care such as help with dressing, bathing and grooming, and housekeeping. They often work part time, or non-traditional hours.

Home Health Aides

• A home health aide is a professional. He might work in a client's home or travel to several clients' homes, or he may work in a long-term care facility or hospital. Home health aides undergo training at a community college, but often they receive on-the-job training at a medical facility and are trained by registered nurses.

Career Outlook

• According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics both occupations have a good outlook. They were paid between $9 and $13 per hour as of 2006. Overnight caregivers/aides can be paid more depending on the region of the country.

  Positions can be obtained by contracting directly with the client, through a medical placement agency, or through a medical facility.

  Both types of positions require physical strength and compassion. Both caregivers and home health aides are subject to scrutiny under the laws that protect seniors and children from abuse.

Cautions

• The federal government has guidelines for home health aides who receive payment through Medicare, but no license is required.

  When hiring a caregiver or home health aide, it is important to to diligently check her out. Interview her and check references. Obtain a criminal background check of the candidate from the local police department.