Personal Care Assistance
Discover how personal care assistance could be the right choice for your loved one
For an older adult in need of assistance, there are several options for home care services.
Having a PCA, or personal care assistant, can greatly improve independent living with or without medical home care services and ensure a comfortable environment without leaving your home for a facility.
Discover how personal care assistance could be the right choice for your loved one.
What is Personal Care Assistance?
One of the biggest hurdles for seniors who wish to remain in their homes and continue to live independently is help with managing daily living activities. Personal care assistants are trained to provide an array of services to people in their own homes, typically those who are physically or mentally diminished and seniors who need help with everyday tasks.
Many of the personal care services a personal care assistant offers overlap with services of other home care and home health care professionals, such as nursing assistants or home health aides. The central difference between personal care assistants and other home care professionals is the certifications and licenses required by the state. A PCA (personal care assistant) aren’t required to have these certifications as their job doesn’t include medical services.
Services Provided by a Personal Care Assistant
A personal care assistant offers care services that are part of someone’s established care plans and are nonmedical but may be necessary help that medical professionals don’t provide and to help keep a loved one in their home.
The family isn’t excluded from the personal care routine, a PCA can keep family members updated on their loved one’s progress and ensure they’re well cared for.
- Helping with personal hygiene, assisting with bathing and dressing
- Incontinence care and help with toilet use
- Bed-to-chair transfers and helping with movement
- Meal preparation and help with feeding
- Errand help, such as grocery shopping
- House care, such as laundry, sweeping and vacuuming, and dishwashing
- Companionship, helping to stay connected, be company, and prevent isolationism.
- Exercising assistance, within medical recommendations and orders
- Accompany them to medical appointments
- Driving
PCA Care and Financial Options
Families and seniors often worry they’re unable to afford a personal care assistant, but there are several options to have home assistance available. It’s important to note that some personal care professionals are independent contractors and if a family hires them, they’ll do so as a private employer. This means the family is responsible for paying social security, unemployment, and payroll taxes for the care professional.
Pursuing a personal care professional via an agency, these taxes aren’t the family’s responsibility and these care agencies may have programs to help those who are in need. There are also many programs run by local and state social services, such as a waiver services program, or Medicaid personal care coverage.
