Geriatric aide vs personal care assistant

The differences between geriatric aides and personal care assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a geriatric aide has an average salary of $29,936, which is higher than the $26,643 average annual salary of a personal care assistant.

The top three skills for a geriatric aide include ADL, patient care and vital signs. The most important skills for a personal care assistant are patients, CPR, and home health.

Geriatric aide vs personal care assistant overview

	Geriatric Aide	Personal Care Assistant
Yearly salary	$29,936	$26,643
Hourly rate	$14.39	$12.81
Growth rate	36%	36%
Number of jobs	44,150	256,869
Job satisfaction	-	4.67
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	High School Diploma, 31%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	-	-

Geriatric aide vs personal care assistant salary

Geriatric aides and personal care assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Geriatric Aide	Personal Care Assistant
Average salary	$29,936	$26,643
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $39,000	Between $18,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City	-	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	Massachusetts General Hospital
Best paying industry	-	Professional

Differences between geriatric aide and personal care assistant education

There are a few differences between a geriatric aide and a personal care assistant in terms of educational background:

	Geriatric Aide	Personal Care Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	High School Diploma, 31%
Most common major	Psychology	Nursing
Most common college	-	-

Geriatric aide vs personal care assistant demographics

Here are the differences between geriatric aides' and personal care assistants' demographics:

	Geriatric Aide	Personal Care Assistant
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 8.8% Female, 91.3%	Male, 15.0% Female, 85.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 22.8% Asian, 13.6% White, 47.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%	Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 8.7% White, 59.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between geriatric aide and personal care assistant duties and responsibilities

Geriatric aide example responsibilities.

Sit with residents and assist with food trays.
Provide companionship on a daily basis by lending an ear or a shoulder to lean on.
Conduct individual exercise instruction as prescribed by supervising therapist, significantly resulting in improving the overall well being of many patients.
Conduct qualifying assessments for prospective GED exam candidates.

Personal care assistant example responsibilities.

Conduct and facilitate PCA lead group activities as scheduled
Act the utmost compassion and professionalism in providing every client with the highest quality care.
Review patients' dietary restrictions, food allergies, and preferences to ensure patient receives appropriate diet.
Provide nourishment and medication to pet resort guests and hospitalize patients alike.
Assist consumers with outside activates that are planned by PCW
Used love and compassion & structure to show young individuals their self worth.

Geriatric aide vs personal care assistant skills

Common geriatric aide skills

ADL, 86%
Patient Care, 8%
Vital Signs, 4%
Body Mechanics, 1%
Individual Treatment Plan, 1%
Companionship, 0%

Common personal care assistant skills

Patients, 17%
CPR, 12%
Home Health, 12%
RUN Errands, 7%
Companionship, 6%
Patient Care, 6%

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Geriatric Aide
Geriatric Aide vs Personal Care Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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