Residential aide vs direct care provider

The differences between residential aides and direct care providers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a direct care provider has an average salary of $29,470, 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 provider are CPR, developmental disabilities, and mental health.

Residential aide vs direct care provider overview

	Residential Aide	Direct Care Provider
Yearly salary	$26,176	$29,470
Hourly rate	$12.58	$14.17
Growth rate	36%	36%
Number of jobs	74,826	117,168
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 29%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	-	-

What does a residential aide do?

A residential aide is responsible for assisting residents and patients in a community facility, supporting them in their daily activities and personal routines. Residential aides monitor the patients' health conditions, coordinate with medical professionals, and ensure that they receive the proper medications. They also assist the residents with their inquiries and concerns, as well as developing community programs and events, sustaining the healthy welfare of the citizens. A residential aide must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially when communicating with management and other organizations for assistance on charity works.

What does a direct care provider do?

A Direct Care Worker specializes in providing care and assistance to patients, typically to the elderly. Their responsibilities include preparing and feeding meals, administering medication and other treatments, and monitoring their conditions, updating the physician or the patients' families regularly. They must also assist patients in various hygienic tasks such as bathing, dressing, brushing teeth, or going to the toilet. There are instances when Direct Care Workers must perform various household tasks such as laundry, washing the dishes, shopping for groceries, and running errands as needed.

Residential aide vs direct care provider salary

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

	Residential Aide	Direct Care Provider
Average salary	$26,176	$29,470
Salary range	Between $20,000 And $33,000	Between $20,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	Beverly, MA	Olympia, WA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Alaska
Best paying company	Mercy Housing and Shelter	Washington State University
Best paying industry	Education	Health Care

Differences between residential aide and direct care provider education

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

	Residential Aide	Direct Care Provider
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 29%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	-	-

Residential aide vs direct care provider demographics

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

	Residential Aide	Direct Care Provider
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 26.8% Female, 73.2%	Male, 23.6% Female, 76.4%
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, 9.7% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 7.8% White, 61.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between residential aide and direct care provider 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 provider example responsibilities.

Require certification in MANDT and CPR.
Coach and train clients to improve their daily living (ADL), social interaction and job skills.
Provide instruction and assist the consumers with active daily living (ADL) skills such as cooking, bathing, dressing.
Provide caring and companionship to elderly and developmentally disable consumers and provide primary resident care and assistance with daily living activities.
Facilitate exercise, vocational, arts-n-crafts, and daily living skills groups for consumers with DD.

Residential aide vs direct care provider skills

Common residential aide skills

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

Common direct care provider skills

CPR, 24%
Developmental Disabilities, 23%
Mental Health, 5%
Direct Care, 4%
Intellectual Disabilities, 4%
Home Health, 4%

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Residential Aide
Residential Aide vs Direct Care Provider

Updated January 8, 2025

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