Home Health Aide

Home Health Aide

The Home Health Aide is responsible for providing personal care to residents/community clients following established Judson Home Care policies and procedures and clinical standards, specific residents/community clients care plan, making observations, and reporting appropriately as directed by the supervisor or designee.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities ALL accomplished promptly:

Resident/community client personal care, homemaker, escort, and/or companion duties:

• Provides care according to the individual resident/community client care plan, makes observations regarding the individual's condition, and reports/documents the duties performed and the observations made during all shifts of duty.
• Supervises residents/community clients at all times when on duty.
• Provides personal care to the client, including bathing, oral hygiene, hair care, shaving, skincare, hand and foot care, and dressing.
• Assists residents/community clients with mobility, including walking, transferring, and turning positioning using proper body mechanics.
• Assists residents/community clients with prescribed exercises, which the residents/community clients and the assistant have been taught and supervised by appropriate personnel.
• Assists residents/community clients with toileting needs, including assistance with bedpan, bedside commode, toilet use, and care of incontinence.
• Plans, shops, prepares, or assists with nutritious meals and prescribed diets including clean up of kitchen area.
• Feeds residents/community clients in need of assistance (STNAs are only permitted to perform this task in licensed areas).
• Assists in the self-administration of medications that are prescribed by the residents'/community clients' physician and set up by a nurse or other appropriate party.
• Provides homemaking services, such as bed making, light housework, laundering, and errand running with residents'/community clients'/family's agreement or accompanying residents/community clients to medical appointments providing transportation with supervisor's approval and written residents/community clients Responsible Party consent.
• Performs, assists, and/or encourages participation in activities both in and outside of the home/apartment/room with appropriate activities necessary to maintain a healthy, safe environment.
• Provides companionship to meet the socialization needs of the residents/community clients.

Reporting, documentation, and communication responsibilities:

• Documents care provided in Smart Care.
• Reports any changes in residents'/community clients' condition to Resident Care Manager or On Call Nurse including all incidents/accidents which occur in Judson per the emergency procedures (i.e. using the pull cord, etc) and also notifies the Resident Care Manager or On Call Nurse.
• Reports any changes resulting in hospitalizations, emergency room visits, etc. which would impact the schedule to the scheduler and Resident Care Manager or On Call Nurse.
• Reports all emergencies called into "911" while on duty providing service to non-DNR clients in the community per emergency procedures and notifying the Resident Care Manager or On Call Nurse.
• Communicate any changes in scheduling DIRECTLY WITH THE SCHEDULER according to JHC policies and procedures.

Education responsibilities:

Attends and keeps records of 12 hours of mandatory and other appropriate in-services annually. Attends and keeps records of current and approved BLS/CPR courses noting that newly hired non-state tested nursing assistants (STNAs) who have not attended BLS/CPR are required to attend BLS/CPR Training within the first quarter of hire.

Miscellaneous:

Maintains a record of acceptable attendance and punctuality according to policy and procedures. Observes all company rules and safety procedures. Other duties as assigned.

Behavioral Skills:

This position requires incumbents to adhere to Judson's organizational behavioral competencies.

Performance Standards:

• Successfully completes competency skills testing under the supervision of the Resident Care Manager or Director of Home Care.
• Practices universal precautions consistently and appropriately
• Performs home health assistance duties per Care Plan competently and consistently
• Paperwork submitted to the Scheduler is accurately submitted on a timely basis
• Attendance at 12 Hours of continuing education is completed annually
• Attendance and successful completion of first aid training is completed at least every 3 years
• Documentation of daily care provided is done by JHC policy

Minimum Qualifications, Education, and Certifications:

• High school graduate/GED preferred.
• State Tested Nursing Assistant or Certified Home Health Aide preferred.
• Completion of an approved course in First Aid/CPR is preferred.
• Experience in caring for the elderly and physically dependent people.
• Proven record of reliability, dependability, accuracy, caring, concern, patience and ability to work and speak respectfully to aged clients.
• Valid driver's license and insurance or state identification card.
• Must have reliable transportation - these locations are very close to the RTA.
• Must have an understanding and acceptance of the philosophy of care of JHC.

Physical Requirements:

• Requires good vision, hearing, and speech and communication skills with the ability to project voice, ambulate around the home without difficulty, use the telephone, and read and write English.
• Must also have the ability to stand on her/his feet for a period of up to eight (8) hours a day, transfer a 150-pound person and squat on the floor and rise to standing.
• Fingernails must be kept short in accordance to policy.

Working Conditions:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job and may vary from residence to residence. Some of the variations include pets, smoking, family members, traveling to various locations, and others as dictated by the individual environment.

Each home or residence (working environment) has a "Home Safety Evaluation" conducted at the admission of each case by the Resident Care Manager to confirm that the home environment is safe and to make recommendations as necessary to make it safe.