Residential aide vs direct care aide

The differences between residential aides and direct care aides can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a direct care aide has an average salary of $30,429, which is higher than the $26,176 average annual salary of a residential aide.

The top three skills for a residential aide include autism, developmental disabilities and compassion. The most important skills for a direct care aide are home health, foster care, and CPR.

Residential aide vs direct care aide overview

	Residential Aide	Direct Care Aide
Yearly salary	$26,176	$30,429
Hourly rate	$12.58	$14.63
Growth rate	36%	36%
Number of jobs	74,826	178,038
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 29%	High School Diploma, 35%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	-	-

Residential aide vs direct care aide salary

Residential aides and direct care aides have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Residential Aide	Direct Care Aide
Average salary	$26,176	$30,429
Salary range	Between $20,000 And $33,000	Between $22,000 And $41,000
Highest paying City	Beverly, MA	Springfield, MA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Vermont
Best paying company	Mercy Housing and Shelter	Univ Of Colorado-Colorado Spgs
Best paying industry	Education	Energy

Differences between residential aide and direct care aide education

There are a few differences between a residential aide and a direct care aide in terms of educational background:

	Residential Aide	Direct Care Aide
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 29%	High School Diploma, 35%
Most common major	Psychology	Nursing
Most common college	-	-

Residential aide vs direct care aide demographics

Here are the differences between residential aides' and direct care aides' demographics:

	Residential Aide	Direct Care Aide
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 26.8% Female, 73.2%	Male, 20.8% Female, 79.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 8.1% White, 59.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 12.1% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 13.3% Asian, 8.0% White, 61.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between residential aide and direct care aide duties and responsibilities

Residential aide example responsibilities.

Lead support groups with an emphasis on recovery and strength base techniques, DBT, CBT, self-care and coping skills.
Provide direct patient care, understanding, and compassion for patients.
Train in Epi-Pen, CPR and allergic reaction emergency procedures.
Assist with transferring residents in and out of wheelchairs and adaptive equipment.assist with ADLs.
Aid patients with ADL'S which includes toilete assist, bathing, washing, dressing, cooking etc.
Administer medication, assisting with ADL'S, v/s, glucose monitoring, wind care, laundry and monthly paperwork.

Direct care aide example responsibilities.

Provide individuals appropriate assistance in completing ADL's, such as showering, toileting, transferring, dressing, and feeding.
Assist mentally disable adults with ADL's such as showering, grooming, oral care, eating, dressing and toileting.
Provide emotional and mental support to unstable patients and are experience in dealing with aggressive residents
Provide caring and companionship to elderly and developmentally disable consumers and provide primary resident care and assistance with daily living activities.
Advocate for disable children, help them thrive through completion of goals and one-on-one supervision SCIP, AMAP and CPR certify.
Dispense and administer medication to patients according to AMAP policies and procedures.

Residential aide vs direct care aide skills

Common residential aide skills

Autism, 12%
Developmental Disabilities, 11%
Compassion, 11%
Direct Support, 8%
Cleanliness, 5%
CPR, 5%

Common direct care aide skills

Home Health, 17%
Foster Care, 10%
CPR, 9%
Patients, 7%
Meal Prep, 7%
Rehabilitation, 6%