Guardian family member vs direct care worker

The differences between guardian family members and direct care workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a guardian family member has an average salary of $31,712, which is higher than the $29,343 average annual salary of a direct care worker.

The top three skills for a guardian family member include patient care, vital signs and doctor appointments. The most important skills for a direct care worker are direct care, patients, and CPR.

Guardian family member vs direct care worker overview

	Guardian Family Member	Direct Care Worker
Yearly salary	$31,712	$29,343
Hourly rate	$15.25	$14.11
Growth rate	36%	36%
Number of jobs	47,314	140,788
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	High School Diploma, 32%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	-	-

Guardian family member vs direct care worker salary

Guardian family members and direct care workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Guardian Family Member	Direct Care Worker
Average salary	$31,712	$29,343
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $41,000	Between $23,000 And $36,000
Highest paying City	-	Portland, ME
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	Arizona Training & Evaluation Center
Best paying industry	-	Professional

Differences between guardian family member and direct care worker education

There are a few differences between a guardian family member and a direct care worker in terms of educational background:

	Guardian Family Member	Direct Care Worker
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	High School Diploma, 32%
Most common major	Business	Psychology
Most common college	-	-

Guardian family member vs direct care worker demographics

Here are the differences between guardian family members' and direct care workers' demographics:

	Guardian Family Member	Direct Care Worker
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 32.5% Female, 67.5%	Male, 23.4% Female, 76.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 7.7% White, 58.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%	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%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between guardian family member and direct care worker duties and responsibilities

Guardian family member example responsibilities.

Manage provider network to include verifying claims and benefits for healthcare providers/members and insurance companies.
Serve as liaison between grievances and appeals and/or medical management, legal and/or service operations and other internal departments.
Provide all incontinence care, including bathing, changing diapers and condom catheters.

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.

Guardian family member vs direct care worker skills

Common guardian family member skills

Patient Care, 13%
Vital Signs, 13%
Doctor Appointments, 12%
Child Care, 10%
Mental Health, 9%
Physical Therapy, 9%

Common direct care worker skills

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

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Personal Care and Attendants Industry
Guardian Family Member
Guardian Family Member vs Direct Care Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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