Direct care worker vs home care attendant

The differences between direct care workers and home care attendants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a direct care worker has an average salary of $29,343, which is higher than the $26,059 average annual salary of a home care attendant.

The top three skills for a direct care worker include direct care, patients and CPR. The most important skills for a home care attendant are patients, home health, and companionship.

Direct care worker vs home care attendant overview

	Direct Care Worker	Home Care Attendant
Yearly salary	$29,343	$26,059
Hourly rate	$14.11	$12.53
Growth rate	36%	36%
Number of jobs	140,788	235,912
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 32%	Bachelor's Degree, 33%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	-	-

What does a direct care worker do?

A Direct Care Worker's responsibility revolves around overseeing clients' welfare and health care from different ages and conditions. Most of the duties will involve assistance in basic hygienic tasks such as bathing or going to the toilet, performing light chores such as preparing healthy meals and cleaning a bedroom, and ensuring the patient's medication intake aligns with the schedule. Furthermore, it is also the duty of a Direct Care Worker to empathize and build rapport with clients to make them feel more at ease.

What does a home care attendant do?

A home care attendant is a health care worker whose primary job is to provide care and assistance to the elderly and people with disabilities. Your day-to-day duties will include monitoring and recording the condition of patients, performing housekeeping and laundry, and providing personal care services such as dressing and bathing. In addition, you will assist patients in caring for themselves by teaching them how to use a walker, cane, and personal hygiene equipment. As a home care attendant, you are also expected to adhere to asepsis procedures and standards to maintain a secure, healthy, and safe environment.

Direct care worker vs home care attendant salary

Direct care workers and home care attendants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Direct Care Worker	Home Care Attendant
Average salary	$29,343	$26,059
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $36,000	Between $17,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	Portland, ME	Watertown Town, MA
Highest paying state	Washington	Alaska
Best paying company	Arizona Training & Evaluation Center	Dignity Health
Best paying industry	Professional	Media

Differences between direct care worker and home care attendant education

There are a few differences between a direct care worker and a home care attendant in terms of educational background:

	Direct Care Worker	Home Care Attendant
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 32%	Bachelor's Degree, 33%
Most common major	Psychology	Nursing
Most common college	-	-

Direct care worker vs home care attendant demographics

Here are the differences between direct care workers' and home care attendants' demographics:

	Direct Care Worker	Home Care Attendant
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 23.4% Female, 76.6%	Male, 13.1% Female, 86.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.6% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 13.7% Asian, 7.6% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 8.0% White, 57.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between direct care worker and home care attendant duties and responsibilities

Direct care worker example responsibilities.

Provide caring companionship to elderly and developmentally disable patients with or without chronic health diagnosis.
Assist individuals with developmental/intellectual disabilities with ADL's.
Conduct socialization groups to aid individuals in development of ADL and socialization skills.
Prepare daily documents administer medications handle patients hygiene house cleaning and provide transportation to and from appointment
Provide caring and companionship to elderly and developmentally disable consumers and provide primary resident care and assistance with daily living activities.
Provide day to day services that include transport, nutrition, hygiene, housekeeping and activities to MRDD clients.

Home care attendant example responsibilities.

Manage clients bills, paid them, buy groceries, take complete care of their responsibilities.
Self-Direct and empower, providing hygiene care, hospice and respite care to Alzheimer's patients and patients requiring long-term assistance.
Provide companionship and conversation, stabilization, and assistance with walking, and providing medication and appointment reminders for assign patients.
Maintain all confidential personnel files and CPR compliance records.
Ensure that HHA's are trained to administer the required care.
Interview applicants for HHA training program, and general clerical duties and some front reception coverage.

Direct care worker vs home care attendant skills

Common direct care worker skills

Direct Care, 22%
Patients, 11%
CPR, 7%
Developmental Disabilities, 4%
Crisis Intervention, 4%
Vital Signs, 4%

Common home care attendant skills

Patients, 19%
Home Health, 16%
Companionship, 14%
CPR, 6%
Meal Prep, 5%
Patient Care, 4%

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Personal Care and Attendants Industry
Direct Care Worker
Direct Care Worker vs Home Care Attendant

Updated January 8, 2025

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