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The differences between home health aids and companions can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a companion has an average salary of $29,246, which is higher than the $27,249 average annual salary of a home health aid.
The top three skills for a home health aid include home health, patients and companionship. The most important skills for a companion are companionship, patients, and home health.
| Home Health Aid | Companion | |
| Yearly salary | $27,249 | $29,246 |
| Hourly rate | $13.10 | $14.06 |
| Growth rate | 36% | 36% |
| Number of jobs | 248,490 | 75,753 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.29 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 32% | High School Diploma, 28% |
| Average age | 50 | 48 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
Home health aides provide care and assistance to patients who have chronic illnesses, injuries, disabilities, or age-related challenges inside the patient's home. They monitor the patient's condition and help them in any activity they may need assistance in. They provide support to both the patient and the family to manage the patient's condition. Home health aides care for the patient by providing personal services like bathing and basic grooming, designing nutritional plans, cooking and preparing meals, running errands, maintaining the cleanliness of the home, managing medication intake, and ensuring the home is safe and secure for the patient.
A companion is responsible for assisting sick and recovered patients, as well as the elderly. Companions perform housekeeping duties, ensuring that a facility is well-maintained and safe for the use of the patients. They also monitor the patients' medication, prepare their meals based on a medical professional's prescription, support them on their daily activities, respond to the patients' needs and special requests as allowed, and report any developments to their family or guardians. A companion must be compassionate enough to extend physical and emotional support, depending on the client's condition.
Home health aids and companions have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Home Health Aid | Companion | |
| Average salary | $27,249 | $29,246 |
| Salary range | Between $20,000 And $36,000 | Between $22,000 And $38,000 |
| Highest paying City | Reading, MA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Washington |
| Best paying company | St. Jude Children's Research Hospital | Merck |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Non Profits |
There are a few differences between a home health aid and a companion in terms of educational background:
| Home Health Aid | Companion | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 32% | High School Diploma, 28% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between home health aids' and companions' demographics:
| Home Health Aid | Companion | |
| Average age | 50 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 13.6% Female, 86.4% | Male, 12.1% Female, 87.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 24.0% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 23.4% Asian, 10.5% White, 35.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 18.9% Asian, 7.7% White, 57.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 7% |