Life As a Home Health Aide
Job Description: Provide routine individualized healthcare such as changing bandages and dressing wounds, and applying topical medications to the elderly, convalescents, or persons with disabilities at the patient’s home or in a care facility. Monitor or report changes in health status. May also provide personal care such as bathing, dressing, and grooming of patient.
What Do Home Health Aides Do On a Daily Basis?
- Bathe patients.
- Check patients' pulse, temperature, and respiration.
- Direct patients in simple prescribed exercises or in the use of braces or artificial limbs.
- Accompany clients to doctors' offices or on other trips outside the home, providing transportation, assistance, and companionship.
- Perform a variety of duties as requested by client, such as obtaining household supplies or running errands.
- Care for patients by changing bed linens, washing and ironing laundry, cleaning, or assisting with their personal care.
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Things a Home Health Aide Should Know How to Do
These are the skills Home Health Aides say are the most useful in their careers:
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Types of Home Health Aide Jobs
- Resident Care Associate
- Nursing Assistant
- Residential Counselor
- Home Care Provider
- Certified Nurses Aide (CNA)
Home Health Aide Job Outlook
In the United States, there were 911,500 jobs for Home Health Aide in 2016. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 47.3% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 431,200 new jobs for Home Health Aide by 2026. The BLS estimates 168,600 yearly job openings in this field.

The states with the most job growth for Home Health Aide are Arizona, District of Columbia, and New York. Watch out if you plan on working in Maine, South Dakota, or North Carolina. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
What is the Average Salary of a Home Health Aide
The salary for Home Health Aides ranges between about $19,060 and $32,180 a year.

Home Health Aides who work in North Dakota, Rhode Island, or Massachusetts, make the highest salaries.
How much do Home Health Aides make in each U.S. state?
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Alabama | $20,780 |
Alaska | $29,890 |
Arizona | $25,470 |
Arkansas | $23,070 |
California | $33,680 |
Colorado | $26,980 |
Connecticut | $28,240 |
Delaware | $29,560 |
District of Columbia | $29,290 |
Florida | $24,280 |
Georgia | $23,140 |
Hawaii | $27,620 |
Idaho | $25,150 |
Illinois | $25,370 |
Indiana | $23,960 |
Iowa | $30,320 |
Kansas | $24,560 |
Kentucky | $24,460 |
Louisiana | $21,080 |
Maine | $27,380 |
Maryland | $27,540 |
Massachusetts | $30,830 |
Michigan | $24,770 |
Minnesota | $28,940 |
Mississippi | $22,580 |
Missouri | $25,080 |
Montana | $25,940 |
Nebraska | $24,380 |
Nevada | $35,450 |
New Hampshire | $29,140 |
New Jersey | $24,450 |
New Mexico | $23,080 |
New York | $26,240 |
North Carolina | $21,120 |
North Dakota | $34,100 |
Ohio | $22,570 |
Oklahoma | $23,380 |
Oregon | $26,450 |
Pennsylvania | $25,310 |
Rhode Island | $32,440 |
South Carolina | $21,810 |
South Dakota | $29,820 |
Tennessee | $22,620 |
Texas | $21,910 |
Utah | $26,580 |
Vermont | $28,110 |
Virginia | $23,440 |
Washington | $30,100 |
West Virginia | $23,120 |
Wisconsin | $25,330 |
Wyoming | $28,060 |
What Tools & Technology do Home Health Aides Use?
Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Home Health Aides may use on a daily basis:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Outlook
- Web browser software
- Python
- Microsoft Access
- Word processing software
- Microsoft Windows
- Microsoft SharePoint
- Linux
- UNIX
- Oracle software
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software
- Salesforce software
- SAP software
How do I Become a Home Health Aide?
Education needed to be a Home Health Aide:

What work experience do I need to become a Home Health Aide?

Who Employs Home Health Aides?

The table below shows the approximate number of Home Health Aides employed by various industries.

Related Careers
Those interested in being a Home Health Aide may also be interested in:
References:
Image Credit: Sgt. Courtney Richardson, 4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs via Public domain
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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