What is a home health aide? A home health aide is a healthcare professional who works one-on-one with patients in their homes rather than in a hospital, clinic, or senior home setting. Often, these patients are senior citizens who require extensive care to help them perform everyday tasks and maintain their personal health.

Home health aides get to know their patients very deeply and often come to see their patients as family members, assisting them with tasks like the following:

• Hygiene and grooming (e.g., bathing, tooth-brushing, hair, and makeup)
• Dressing/undressing
• Grocery shopping and running necessary errands
• Preparing and serving meals
• Housekeeping
• Administering prescribed medications on an appropriate schedule
• Providing specialized treatment for chronic conditions, wounds, etc.
• Scheduling doctor appointments
• Interacting and coordinating with family
• Simply spending time with the patient and keeping him or her company

ABC Training Center’s home health aide classes in NYC can teach you how to manage these and other tasks while working as a home care professional.

How to Add a Personal Touch to Your Career in Home Care

When working as a home health aide, you’ll have the opportunity to get to know your patient closely and really build a fulfilling personal relationship. Below are some of the ways you can make your experience an even more personal and connected one.

• Talk to your patient about his or her life and get to understand him or her at a deeper level. Share experiences from your own life so that you can draw parallels and compare what life was like when you were both growing up. Seniors especially appreciate the opportunity to share their many stories (and you’ll be surprised what you can learn!).
• Treat your patient like you would your own parent or grandparent. Thinking of patients as family can help caregivers really bond with patients, making the experience better for everyone.
• Introduce hobbies you enjoy to your patient and try out a few of his or her hobbies, as well. The two of you might find you share a passion for photography, or you might help your patient discover a fun tablet game!
• Listen actively and pay attention to your patient’s emotional communication style—does he or she value words or actions more? If your patient is apprehensive about an upcoming procedure, would a kind heart-to-heart chat be helpful, or would bringing a soothing cup of tea be more appreciated?
• Always lead every action with respect and empathy when caring for your patient. Those who choose to get into home health care are usually naturally good at this, but it’s important to always keep it in mind and remember that patients don’t want to be treated like they aren’t taken seriously. It can be embarrassing for a person to need help with things like bathing and using the restroom, so it’s up to you to help your patient feel empowered and understood.

Start Your Professional Home Health Aide Training in NYC at ABC Training Center

If you feel like your purpose in life is to help those in need, becoming a one-on-one home health aide and providing compassionate in-depth care to a single patient can be an extremely satisfying and meaningful career choice. ABC Training Center’s home health aide classes in NYC can give you the knowledge you need to get started.

Our medical training programs in NYC are designed with your schedule and budget in mind. With a duration of three weeks and a total tuition cost of only $600 (including books), you can get the education you need to begin a new career in less than a month at a price you can actually afford!

Call ABC Training Center today at (718) 618-5589 and get on the fast track to a career you can honestly say you love.