The Duties and Responsibilities of a Home Care Assistant

Many people in Australia need help with everyday tasks to live at home independently.

Thank goodness for home care assistants, a nationwide support network responsible for ensuring those people receive high-quality care in their homes, providing assistance so they can complete tasks too challenging to do on their own.

Let’s look closer at home care assistant roles and responsibilities, as well as the qualities and skills necessary for anyone considering this essential community role.

What Does a Home Care Worker Do?

Older adults or people living with a chronic illness are among the thousands who either don’t need to live in a care home full time or prefer not to – yet they still need a helping hand from a third party to live at home.

A home care worker—also called a home care assistant or home care aide—is responsible for providing this support. They visit a client at home on a regular basis to help with everyday tasks. Some home care workers sleep at their clients’ homes if required, ensuring around-the-clock care and support.

Creating a single home care worker job description is near impossible, since every client has a different set of needs. That said, the ultimate objective of a home carer remains the same from one client to the next: to provide support at home for a person in need and improve their quality of life.

Home Care Worker Duties and Responsibilities

If you’re interested in becoming a home care worker, prepare yourself for a truly varied role. What’s more, looking after someone with specific needs can be highly rewarding, but it is also equally demanding and requires significant attention and care.

Ultimately, home care worker duties are about providing the correct support as and when it’s needed, helping the client live as independently as possible.

Every client has their reasons for seeking support, although they likely need home care based on their age or health. Older people often require help with physical aspects of their lives since they are no longer strong enough to cope with routine tasks like carrying heavy shopping bags, for example. A person with a disability or chronic illness might require help with meal preparation. Both the elderly and people with a disability may need assistance administering medication or daily tasks like taking a shower or bath.

It’s important to understand the key duties when caring for someone in their home, since they are different to the responsibilities of a care worker in a residential home where an entire team is on hand to help. Home care workers take on all support tasks, however challenging or straightforward.

Be prepared for these types of responsibilities as a home care worker:

Household and personal care

Preparing snacks and meals
Supervising eating and drinking
Transporting to medical appointments
Accompanying the client on social outings
Running errands – grocery shopping, collecting medications from the pharmacy
Administering medications
Providing companionship
Helping with bathing, dressing and toileting
Cleaning and tidying the home
Completing the laundry
Communicating with clients and their families about their care and support needs
Assisting with mobility in and around the home
Monitoring the client’s health condition

Emotional support

While a client relies on a home worker for all kinds of practical duties, we must never underestimate their role as a source of emotional support. Depending on their family situation, a home care aide might be the only person a client sees from one day to the next and, as such, acts as a sounding board for questions or merely as a companion.

Always remember, as a home care worker, you are operating within your client’s safe space and sanctuary, and it is essential they continue to feel this way as you support them in their home.

Qualities of a Home Care Assistant

Several personal traits are common among people working in healthcare roles like home care assistants.

The main qualities to be successful in this role are:

Patience: to help you keep a level head when dealing with clients who might become frustrated at their inability to complete tasks for themselves  
Communication skills: to deal with your client and many other people involved in their care – family, other carers, medical teams and government organisations
Organisational skills: to ensure you complete tasks for your client in an effective, safe and timely manner 
Empathy: to show your client you care about their situation and want to achieve the best outcomes.

Getting the Right Skills for a Home Care Assistant Role

On top of personal attributes, working in healthcare requires various skills to support people effectively at home.

While some employers will provide training, it is recommended you complete a formal tertiary qualification to give yourself the best chance of finding work quickly. For example, CHC33021 Certificate III in Individual Support will teach you the relevant entry-level skills to become a home care assistant.

By completing this certificate, you will learn a broad range of skills, including how to:

Empower the person receiving support
Follow safe work practices
Support clients properly with their independence and well-being
Work legally and ethically

If you have a desire to support older people, the course allows you to specialise in Aged Care. Similarly, you can opt to specialise in Disability and tailor your support work toward this sector within healthcare.

Are You Ready to Become a Home Care Worker?

If you are looking for a rewarding role helping people in the community, why not become a home care worker?

Insight Training provides comprehensive courses to help you begin your career as a home care worker.

Start your career today with Insight Training – contact us here. 

Posted in: Aged Care Disability

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