These days, compassion is a job quality in high demand as the home health field continues to grow.
“We serve about 12,000 New Yorkers any day of the week. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of home health aides (HHAs) in the U.S. increased from 2008 to 2010 by 10.4 percent,” says Marki Flannery, president of Partners in Care (partnersincareny.org), the private home care division of the Visiting Nurse Service of New York (VNSNY). “Since 2007, Partners in Care’s HHAs have had a steady 10 to 11 percent growth rate and registered nurses have also increased about 7 to 8 percent.”
With an aging baby boomer population, less availability from family members to provide and assist with care, and more access to care with the health care reform that’s underway, “These factors will result in more people having insurance and access to care,” says Flannery.
Home health aides are typically hired to assist patients living at home with bathing and grooming, meal preparation, exercise (as prescribed by a physician), mobility, medication reminders and transportation to medical appointments, as described at partnersincareny.org.
If you’re considering this line of work, “Home health aide [is] an entry-level position for those who may be looking to enter the health care arena, perhaps with the hopes of attaining a nursing career. We also see many career-changers,” says Flannery.
Additionally, the industry has witnessed the entry of more mature workers, says Jay Conolly, vice president of human resources for Partners in Care.
“It’s an opportunity [for older individuals] to work with their peers, to get back in to the community and help with their own finances,” says Conolly.
If you’re of a minority background, “We need people to speak other languages, including Spanish, Russian, Korean, Mandarin and various other Asian dialects,” adds Flannery.
The pay and benefits afforded to home health aides are also changing for the better. “We’ve always been at the forefront of better salaries than other organizations. We’ve always provided health insurance, vacation and sick [time], pension and uniforms, time and a half — we’re invested in our workforce. And now, due to the Wage Parity Law that was recently upheld in New York State, the base hourly pay will increase in March of 2014 from the current $9.50 hourly rate to $10 per hour,” says Flannery.
At Partners in Care, most home health aides average 35 hours per week of work, according to Flannery.
As members of 1199SEIU, “Our aides are eligible for union benefits, including vacation, sick time and a health plan,” says Amy Leshner Thomas, vice president of Best Choice’s Home Health Care division, a licensed home health care agency that employs close to 800 home health aides and cares for over 1,000 patients annually. The organization is a member of the CenterLight Health System and operates in New York City’s five boroughs, Long Island and Westchester.
As for career advancement, “Typical paths are toward nursing or therapy services, such as physical therapy assistants, working with terminally ill patients or for those with rehabilitation needs. We offer our aides the opportunity to work with specialties like these. There are certification and financial incentives for going through such training,” says Flannery.
If a home health aide pursues higher education to become a licensed professional nurse or a registered nurse, home health nursing duties extend to health assessment, chronic disease management, the giving of injections, pain management, wound care and dressing changes, and case management, according to partnersathome.org. On any given day, Partners in Care employs about 250 nurses, according to Flannery.
“It’s a different experience than working on a floor in a hospital,” says Conolly. “The pay is competitive with the nursing field at $40 to $42 per hour. Hiring demands are increasing for home health nurses too — about 7 to 8 percent a year.”
To succeed on the job, home health aides “Have to be consistent, responsible, giving and loving toward patients,” says Conolly.
“The aide is so important. They’re the eyes and ears of the home care team,” agrees Thomas.
By observing aspiring home health aide workers in information and training sessions, “We try to judge their communication skills and level of interest to determine who will do well. The job is not for everybody. You have to be communicative and able to interact with patients. We look for those with empathy and compassion,” says Thomas.
The rewards of the field can be great, says Conolly.
“Aides are genuinely the most wonderful people. They love being able to help people. The personal reward is the motivation. It’s the feeling in your heart that you’re doing something good for people. In my 15 years here, I’ve come to know, love and respect who they are and what they do.”