The personal support worker also known as home support worker, health care aide or personal attendant has a very significant role to play in senior home care with several responsibilities that range from looking after the health and personal requirements in the daily lives of the elderly. Senior care at homes is a serious affair that needs adequate training and dedication on part of these workers to be conducted efficiently and with due care. Some workers also undertake a few household chores in addition to their basic job of looking after the elderly.
Health and Personal Care Responsibilities
The personal support has multiple duties in elder care which have to be performed with diligence on a daily basis. These activities include:
• Help in bathing, entering bath tub and provide sponge bath when required.
• Help in washing and drying of hair.
• Help in denture care and cleaning.
• Help in applying medicated as well as non medicated lotions as applicable.
• After bathing check out the entire skin for bruises, rashes, redness, swelling, wounds and signs of dryness or cracked skin.
• Filing of the nails. Seniors with diabetic conditions must be provided with specials nail care by trained support workers only.
• Common g-tube and catheter care may also be given by suitably cleared workers.
• Helping the elderly to move about in the house during the course of the day.
• Provide and ensure the usage of hearing aids, spectacles and life line necklaces.
• Provide the various kinds of mobility aids such as wheel chairs, chair lifts, canes and workers after checking their serviceability.
• Receive and check the delivery of medicines from the authorized pharmacy. Ensure that all the required medications are taken in the proper order as prescribed by the doctors and assist the elderly in taking those medicines if required.
• Assist in making the meals and help the seniors in having the meals at the correct time.
• Take the seniors for a mild walk or stroll on the wheel chair.
• Help in applying the orthopedic stockings and tensors if required by the elderly.
• Provide a loving environment to the seniors with the aim of keeping them happy and engaged.
Training Requirements of Personal Support Workers
These workers when entrusted with providing home health care to senior people who may be having various disabilities must be checked for their training, aptitude and qualifications to ensure that the right persons are in charge. The qualification that is mandatory for being certified in this field is a health care aide college certificate after undergoing a suitable course whose duration may range up to one year. The personal traits that are desirable in all such workers include maturity, patience, positive attitude, compassion for the helpless, dedication, team spirit and smartness to handle emergencies when they arise. A pleasing personality is the most preferred trait for all workers employed in the senior home care solutions.
Providing senior care at home can be an arduous task that demands the highest level of skills and dedication from such workers to be able to perform their duties effectively and efficiently.
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