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Home health aid vs elderly caregiver

The differences between home health aids and elderly caregivers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an elderly caregiver has an average salary of $37,109, 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 an elderly caregiver are adaptive, oral care, and companionship.

Home health aid vs elderly caregiver overview

Home Health AidElderly Caregiver
Yearly salary$27,249$37,109
Hourly rate$13.10$17.84
Growth rate36%36%
Number of jobs248,49071,532
Job satisfaction4.293
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 32%High School Diploma, 33%
Average age5048
Years of experience--

What does a home health aid do?

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.

What does an elderly caregiver do?

An Elderly Caregiver provides personal and emotional support to people who cannot look after themselves. They are either hired by a client or their family, or report directly to a physician or a nurse.

Home health aid vs elderly caregiver salary

Home health aids and elderly caregivers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Home Health AidElderly Caregiver
Average salary$27,249$37,109
Salary rangeBetween $20,000 And $36,000Between $23,000 And $59,000
Highest paying CityReading, MANew York, NY
Highest paying stateMassachusettsConnecticut
Best paying companySt. Jude Children's Research HospitalCARE
Best paying industryHealth CareHealth Care

Differences between home health aid and elderly caregiver education

There are a few differences between a home health aid and an elderly caregiver in terms of educational background:

Home Health AidElderly Caregiver
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 32%High School Diploma, 33%
Most common majorNursingNursing
Most common college--

Home health aid vs elderly caregiver demographics

Here are the differences between home health aids' and elderly caregivers' demographics:

Home Health AidElderly Caregiver
Average age5048
Gender ratioMale, 13.6% Female, 86.4%Male, 14.5% Female, 85.5%
Race ratioBlack 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, 10.3% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 21.4% Asian, 7.4% White, 55.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage5%7%

Differences between home health aid and elderly caregiver duties and responsibilities

Home health aid example responsibilities.

  • Clean house, cook, run errands, take to doctor appointments
  • Prepare for HIPAA and JCAHO reviews, ensuring require brochures and pamphlets are available to patients in all clinics.
  • Conduct insurance verifications for Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance patients.
  • Perform ADL's, medication administration, pulmonary therapy, daily physiotherapy.
  • Provide physical and emotional support and companionship to senior adults in degenerative loss of memory and/or motor functions.
  • Obtain household supplies and run daily errands.
  • Show more

Elderly caregiver example responsibilities.

  • Care include dressing, assisting with activities of daily living (ADL )
  • Assist w/bathing, personal hygiene laundry, housecleaning, ADL, and daily bed linen changing ....
  • Provide compassionate care to cognitively impair patients including but not limit to Alzheimer's patients and patients with dementia.
  • Help them build confidence providing companionship and conversation to have a normal lifestyle
  • Provide companionship for elderly individual, accompany patients to doctor appointment or other appointments as needed.
  • Keep information confidential according to HIPPA regulations.

Home health aid vs elderly caregiver skills

Common home health aid skills
  • Home Health, 22%
  • Patients, 13%
  • Companionship, 7%
  • Patient Care, 5%
  • HHA, 5%
  • CPR, 4%
Common elderly caregiver skills
  • Adaptive, 23%
  • Oral Care, 16%
  • Companionship, 13%
  • CPR, 9%
  • RUN Errands, 8%
  • In-Home Care, 7%

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