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Home health aid vs home care attendant

The differences between home health aids and home care attendants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a home health aid has an average salary of $27,249, which is higher than the $26,059 average annual salary of a home care attendant.

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

Home health aid vs home care attendant overview

Home Health AidHome Care Attendant
Yearly salary$27,249$26,059
Hourly rate$13.10$12.53
Growth rate36%36%
Number of jobs248,490235,912
Job satisfaction4.295
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 32%Bachelor's Degree, 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 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.

Home health aid vs home care attendant salary

Home health aids and home care attendants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Home Health AidHome Care Attendant
Average salary$27,249$26,059
Salary rangeBetween $20,000 And $36,000Between $17,000 And $38,000
Highest paying CityReading, MAWatertown Town, MA
Highest paying stateMassachusettsAlaska
Best paying companySt. Jude Children's Research HospitalDignity Health
Best paying industryHealth CareMedia

Differences between home health aid and home care attendant education

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

Home Health AidHome Care Attendant
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 32%Bachelor's Degree, 33%
Most common majorNursingNursing
Most common college--

Home health aid vs home care attendant demographics

Here are the differences between home health aids' and home care attendants' demographics:

Home Health AidHome Care Attendant
Average age5048
Gender ratioMale, 13.6% Female, 86.4%Male, 13.1% Female, 86.9%
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, 10.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 8.0% White, 57.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage5%7%

Differences between home health aid and home care attendant 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

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.
  • Show more

Home health aid vs home care attendant skills

Common home health aid skills
  • Home Health, 22%
  • Patients, 13%
  • Companionship, 7%
  • Patient Care, 5%
  • HHA, 5%
  • CPR, 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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