If you enjoy having a personal relationship with a person who needs your help, then perhaps you should explore a career as a home or personal care aide. Imagine the rewarding feeling you’ll have when you assist an elderly or disabled person to lead a happier and healthier life.

Many people who are disabled, elderly, or ill, can continue to live in their own homes or in residential care, rather than in health care facilities or institutions. Home and personal care aides work with clients who do not require an institutional health environment, but need more extensive personal and home care than family or friends can provide.

Some home and personal care aides work with discharged hospital patients who have relatively short-term needs, or with families in which a parent is unable to provide care for small children. Home and personal care aides do not provide medical treatments or assistance—that’s handled by nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides. 

What tasks do home and personal care aides perform? They may clean clients’ houses, do laundry, and change bed linens. They may also provide housekeeping and routine personal care services, and may plan meals, shop for food, and cook. Aides also may help their clients perform everyday tasks such as getting out of bed, bathing, dressing, and grooming, and may escort their clients to medical appointments or on other errands.

What’s the trend?  The number of elderly people in the United States is growing. Inpatient care in nursing homes and hospitals can be very expensive, and so to keep costs down, patients often return to their homes from these facilities as quickly as possible. Elderly and recovering patients who need assistance with household chores and everyday tasks can often reduce their medical expenses by living at home. In addition, many people requiring care prefer to live in a familiar home environment, and may recover more quickly at home than in an institutional setting.

What kind of training do you need? Requirements vary state by state. Many states require formal training, which is available from community colleges, vocational schools, elder care programs, and home health care agencies.

The National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC) offers national certification for personal and home care aides. Certification requires the applicant to master 17 skills for competency as assessed by a registered nurse, to complete a 75-hour course, and to pass a written exam developed by NAHC.

Check out the schools on EducationForCareers.com, and you’re sure to find one offering the program you need to prepare for a rewarding career.

How's the job outlook? There's very good news! According to the U.S. government, employment of personal and home care aides is projected to grow by 51 percent between 2006 and 2016, which is much faster than the average for all occupations. This occupation will be amongst the occupations adding the most new jobs, growing by about 389,000.* 

If you’re looking for a career that allows you to help people feel better and lead happier lives—but without being involved in providing medical treatment—then training to become a home or personal care aide may be perfect for you.