Personal Care Aide

Job Summary:

Cares for elderly, convalescent, or disabled persons in patient's home by performing the following duties.

Essential Functions:

• Changes bed linens, washes and irons client's laundry, and cleans client's quarters.
• Cleans kitchen and bath fixtures and appliances, dusts and sweeps floors.
• Purchases, prepares, and serves food for client, may require following special prescribed diets.
• Assists clients into and out of bed, wheelchair, to lavatory, and up and down stairs.
• Assists clients with dressing, bathing, toileting and grooming.
• Assists with mobility and transfer for partial weight bearing clients.
• Reads and writes essential correspondence for clients unable to do so for themselves.
• Entertains client, reads aloud, and plays cards or other games with client in cases involving respite care.
• Performs variety of miscellaneous duties as requested such as obtaining household supplies and running essential errands.
• Maintains records of services performed and of apparent condition of client.
• Attends regular in-services on relevant care topics.

The following additional duties apply to Home Care Aides providing advanced personal care only and are supervised by a Registered Nurse in addition to the In-Home Coordinator:

• Hygiene care of persons with ostomies and catheters.
• Administering bowel programs.
• Application of aseptic dressings.
• Assistance with non-injectable medicines.
• Passive range of motion.
• Assistance with use of transfer devices.

Additional Responsibilities: 

Performs other related duties as assigned or requested.

Conforms to all applicable Serve Link Home Care, Inc. policies and procedures.

Participates actively in continuing education and in-services.

Maintains confidentiality of patient information and business trade practices.

Assumes accountability for reporting incidents and complaints according to Serve Link Home Care, Inc.  policy.

Knowledge / Skills / Abilities:

• Language Skills:

• Ability to read and comprehend simple instructions, short correspondence, and memos.
• Ability to write simple correspondence.
• Ability to effectively present information in one-on-one and small group situations to customers, clients, and other employees of the organization.

• Mathematical Skills:

• Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.   

• Reasoning Ability:

• Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form.
• Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.

Age-Related Competencies:   

Demonstrates the basic knowledge and skills necessary to identify age specific patient needs appropriate for this position.

Information Management:

Treats all information and data within the scope of the position with appropriate confidentiality and security.         

Risk Management:

Cooperates fully in all risk management activities and investigations.    

Keeps abreast in changes in health care law.

Maintains Agency/program compliance with local, state and federal laws.

Additional Requirements: 

            Participates in on-call rotation; 

            Reliable transportation.

Minimum Position Qualifications:

      High school diploma or GED

      NA 

Training provided for all workers (minimum of two hours for CNAs). Training may range from 2 hours to 28 hours depending on the experience of the worker and the level of need of care provided (i.e.. Advanced Personal Care requires additional training for all non-CNA staff).

Driver’s license and proof of current auto liability insurance.

Preferred Position Qualifications:

Experience: 1 year nurse aide or home care aide

License/ Certification: Certified Nurses’ Aides license valid in the state of Missouri

Environmental Conditions:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally exposed to toxic or caustic household chemicals and outside weather conditions.  The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet.  Due to the varying types of homes served, it is impossible to adequately describe all potential work environments.

Physical Requirements: 

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand.  The employee frequently is required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel and talk or hear.  The employee is occasionally required to walk; sit; reach with hands and arms; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; and taste or smell.  The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.   Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision (while driving), and color vision (laundering).  Workers may be required to assist a client with mobility and transfers (with or without an assistive device).

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed.  They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities.