HHA salaries

Are you a caring individual who likes to help others, especially if they’re sick? Do you feel that taking care of others is your calling? Then becoming a home health aide could be an excellent choice of career for you!

It needs to be said that some training is required if you want to work in this profession, but if you’re willing to invest a little bit of time and effort to go through with it, or if you already have the necessary education, you could very quickly land a great job in the medical field! If you use Velju, of course.

Why do we say that? Well, allow us to introduce you to the home health aide profession in general.

What does a home health aide do?

Home health aides have the task of helping people live and function independently in the comfort of their own homes. So, as a home health aide, you will be working with people who have chronic health problems or disabilities, or simply help the elderly get through their day without too much trouble.

In other words, you will have the role of providing support to the person who needs it by coming in and visiting them, and how often you do this will depend on the patient’s needs. However, there are even cases that require you to live with the person you have under your care.

In most cases, the people you work with will be seniors, although as previously mentioned, specific health issues may require this type of care, as well. Recovery from a serious injury or surgery is a good example of that.

The important thing is that you will be doing all of this in the patient’s home, where they will feel best and be most receptive to your help.

Home Health

What are the duties and responsibilities of a home health aide?

To put it simply, a home health aide is there to assist the patient with everyday living and all the activities they may have trouble with. This primarily includes things like personal hygiene, dressing, and helping them get around, especially if they are in a wheelchair or use a walker.

You may also be required to plan your client’s meals and cook for them because they suffer from a condition that makes the kitchen a potentially dangerous place for them, and then there’s also making sure they take their medicines regularly and on time.

Furthermore, a home health aide may also be required to help with everyday chores such as doing the dishes, buying groceries, and generally keeping the house clean and livable.

Finally, and this may very well be the most important part, you will be there to provide the person you care for with companionship. Older people will especially appreciate that they have somebody to talk to and spend their time with, and their families will be grateful they have a person they can rely on to take good care of their parents or grandparents.

All of this could very well quickly make you a part of the family you are working for, and this is probably the best feeling this job can offer.

Home Health aide duties

What are the skills of an HHA?

Many of the things mentioned above that an HHA has to do require certain specific skills which you will learn during your training. Remember, these are not very mobile persons we’re talking about.

Transferring them to their wheelchair properly, for example, requires a certain finesse that helps avoid any injuries. Furthermore, an HHA will often have to provide sponge baths and position the patient on the bed in a comfortable position using a small sheet that is placed under the patient.

Then there’s grooming the patient, which can include a variety of activities from putting makeup on them to shaving their beard or cutting their hair.

Furthermore, an HHA needs to be able to help their patients with various exercises (if they are prescribed by a medical professional, of course), which is exceptionally important for a person who can’t move a lot because it helps keep their muscles working.

As you can see, this job is certainly not boring, and there will be many different skills you will have to employ to provide proper care to your patient. That’s why good training is vital!

HHA skills

What is the average salary of an HHA in Europe?

The average salary of a home health aide in Europe will very much depend on the country you’re working in. For example, according to the Economic Research Institute, you can expect to be paid around 7 euros per hour in Spain and 9 euros in Italy, but in Germany that goes up to 13 euros per hour, and Ireland pays slightly less than that.

Mind you, these are all average amounts, so with time and experience, you can expect your income to grow, sometimes even quite significantly.

The data for the UK is also quite interesting because there HHAs earn on average somewhere around 35,000 GBP per year, and in London, this amount goes well over 40,000 GBP.

As stated, the amount will depend very much on where you work, and this is particularly important to emphasize if you’re looking for work in the EU. In places such as Romania, Bulgaria, or Croatia, you may earn significantly less in terms of euros, but you should still be able to live there and earn a salary that is decent compared to those countries’ standards.

Conclusion

A home health aide will have many different duties towards their patients, depending on the patient’s health and mobility. They may need help dressing and getting around, or may have much more severe problems that demand constant care.

Apart from that, however, an HHA may be expected to do some light housekeeping and chores, as well as make sure all the necessary medicines are taken regularly.

But in the end, an HHA will become a companion, a friend, and maybe even a part of the family, something very few other jobs can offer.

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