When you hire a private aide from Senior Helpers, there are specific tasks and responsibilities they can perform, as well as limitations on their scope of practice. Here are some typical tasks they can do and things they can't do:
What our home companion aide can do:
Companionship: Provide emotional support and companionship, engage in conversation, and offer a friendly presence.
Meal preparation: Assist with meal planning and preparation, including cooking and serving food.
Light housekeeping: Perform light cleaning tasks, such as tidying up, doing dishes, and laundry.
Medication reminders: Remind the individual to take their prescribed medications, although they typically cannot administer medications.
Assistance with mobility: Provide assistance with walking, transferring, and getting in and out of chairs or beds.
Transportation: Drive the individual to medical appointments, grocery stores, and other errands.
Assistance with personal care: Help with activities of daily living (ADLs) like bathing, dressing, grooming, and toileting. The extent of personal care assistance may vary based on the agency and the individual's qualifications.
Errands: Run errands, such as picking up prescriptions or groceries.
Respite care: Offer relief to family caregivers by providing care for a few hours or days, allowing family members to take a break.
Safety and supervision: Monitor the individual to ensure their safety, especially if they have mobility or cognitive impairments.
What our home companion aide can't do:
Medical procedures: Home companions may not perform medical procedures, administer injections, or provide medical treatments.
Licensed nursing care: They are not licensed nurses, so they cannot perform nursing assessments or tasks that require a nursing license.
Physical or occupational therapy: They cannot provide physical therapy or occupational therapy services.
Diagnose medical conditions: Home companions are not qualified to diagnose medical conditions or offer medical advice.
Change sterile dressings: They cannot perform wound care or change sterile dressings.
Hair cutting and nail trimming
Taking vital signs
Lifting dead weight
Full body massages
Heavy housework: This includes windows, floor scrubbing (on hands and knees), lawn maintenance