Home health aides (HHAs) help patients live independent lives within their own homes. They take care of patients who are sick or injured and help with everything from personal grooming, to administering medications. An HHA needs to have good communication skills, they need to be compassionate as well as patient.
This article will introduce you to the ten skills that an HHA should have if they want to do the best they can in their career.
Who Is A Home Health Aide?
An HHA is essentially a professional who works in the healthcare industry. Instead of working in hospital settings, HHA finds themselves working in the homes of patients. Their duties can include:
- Ensuring that the patient takes their medication
- Checking the vital signs of patients
- Helping with personal grooming and light housekeeping
- Meal planning and preparation
- Transporting and moving the patient
- Maintaining patient records
But what are the skills you should have if you want to find success as a home health aide?
- Being Empathetic
You should be able to:
- Build a positive relationship with your patient
- Listen to them actively, and pay attention to everything they say
- Respect any concerns that they might have
- Offer them companionship so they don’t feel lonely
- Communicate Effectively
You’ll find yourself needing to communicate with the patient, and their family, as well as doctors and nurses, on a regular basis. You should be able to effectively and correctly communicate everything you need to. Your communication skills shouldn’t just be verbal and written, but you should be able to interpret nonverbal cues as well.
- Being Attentive
You should be capable of multitasking while also paying attention to everything you’re doing. You’ll need to manage the medications of your patients, take them to their doctor appointments, and help them have a good day. In case there is any kind of change in the behavior of the patient, you should be able to note this immediately. This is because changes in their behavior can indicate changes in their health as well.
- Develop Interpersonal Skills
With good interpersonal skills, you’ll be able to interact with the patient, their families, as well as medical care providers. When working with the patient, you’ll be working one-on-one. But you’ll also need to work with the medical team of the patient to learn how to care for them properly.
- Stamina And Endurance
As an HHA, you’ll be spending a lot of time working on your feet. You could have to do tasks that are physically demanding as well, such as lifting the patient from their bed and helping them get in their wheelchair. You need to have good physical stamina in order to do all the tasks you need to.
You should also consider getting home health aide liability insurance. This is because your career leaves you vulnerable to certain risks, like getting sued by patients. With home health aide liability insurance, you can protect your career as well as your finances. If you would like to learn more about home health aide liability insurance, then click here.
- Managing Time
You’ll need to track what your patient needs and provide them with medications at the right time. Your patient could have specific times regarding when to eat when to take medicines, and so on. These timings need to be strictly adhered to. That’s why time management skills are essential to finding success in this field.
- Being Adaptable
You should be able to adapt to different working environments, as you can find yourself in different homes of patients. You should also be able to adapt to the different moods a patient can have. Say your patient ends up contracting a bad virus. In this case, you would need to change their care routine so that you can deal with the virus additionally as well.
You should be willing to accommodate where you can.
- Medical Knowledge
Basic medical skills are essential for HHAs. You should know how to:
- Check vital signs like the pulse of the patient
- Care for wound dressings and change them
- Administer medication at the right times
- Assist any other home health care providers who may also be caring for the client
- Help with health and Occupational therapy sessions
- Have Patience
Some of the situations you’re working in could be challenging. This especially applies to patients who have brain injuries, dementia, or even physical disabilities. You’ll need to be patient in dealing with the patient, and compassionate as well.
- Being Flexible
Your approach to working should be a flexible one. You could find yourself providing patients with medical as well as non-medical care. You could need to do the patient’s laundry, their grocery shopping, and more. Your main goal is to ensure that the patient is as comfortable as possible within their homes.
Conclusion
Home health aides help their patients live dignified lives in their homes. But to be a successful HHA, there are some essential skills that you need to have. This guide helps you learn what they are.