Caregiver

Home services are focused on providing assistance that is not medical in nature, but is based upon assisting the client in meeting the demands of living independently and maintaining a personal residence, such as companionship, cleaning, laundry, shopping, meal preparation, dressing, and bathing.

Duties of home services or in-home services workers may include the following:

1. Observation of client functioning and reporting changes to a HH Supervisor or to a person designated by the Client, including changes in functional ability and mental status demonstrated by the Client.

2. Assistance with household chores, including but not limited to, menu planning, meal preparation, cooking, light housekeeping, changing linens, and laundry.

3. Assistance with shopping, escorting to and from appointments and other engagements outside of the home.

4. Companionship.

5. Completion of caregiver time sheets documenting each of the services provided at each visit.

6. Assistance with activities of daily living and personal care as follows:

A. Ambulation provided the client has been professionally trained in the proper use of any adaptive equipment such as walkers, canes, and wheelchairs.

B. Bathing including assistance in the shower/tub provided the client does not have any medical skin care needs before, during, or after bathing. Assistance with a bed bath may be provided if the caregiver is trained and competency evaluated on the ability to employ the methods required to perform a bed bath. The Client or Client’s representative shall be able to participate in or direct the bathing process and provide ongoing feedback to the caregiver.

C. Dressing clients in ordinary clothing or support stockings that can be purchased without a physician's prescription.

D. Exercise including encouragement of normal bodily movement, as tolerated, on the part of the client and encouragement with a prescribed exercise program.

E. Feeding if the client can independently swallow and be positioned upright.

F. Hair Care appearance and maintenance including shampooing with a non-prescription

shampoo, drying, combing, and styling.

G. Medication Reminding including inquiries as to whether medications were taken,

verbally prompting the client to take medications, handing the appropriately marked container to the client, and opening the appropriately marked container if the client is physically unable to open the container.

H. Mouth Care if the client is conscious, and may include denture care and basic oral hygiene, including oral suctioning.

I. Nail Care includes soaking nails, pushing back cuticles without utensils and filing nails.

J. Positioning when the client is able to identify to the caregiver, either verbally, nonverbally or through others, when the position needs to be changed, and only when medical skin care is not required in conjunction with the positioning. Positioning may

include simple alignment in a bed, wheelchair, or other furniture.

K. Shaving only with an electric or safety razor.

L. Skin Care includes general skin care assistance. Skin care may be performed by a home services worker only when skin is unbroken, and when any chronic skin problems are not active. The skin care provided by a WTN caregiver must be preventative rather than therapeutic in nature, and may include the application of non-medicated lotions and solutions, or of lotions and solutions not requiring a physician's prescription.

M. Toileting includes assisting the client to and from the bathroom; providing assistance with bed pans, urinals, and commodes; providing peri care; changing clothes and pads of any kind used for the care of incontinence. A caregiver may empty or change external urine collection devices, such as catheter bags or suprapubic catheter bags. A caregiver may empty ostomy bags or other client-directed ostomy care only when there is no need for medical skin care or for observation or reporting to a medical professional.

N. Transfers when the client has sufficient balance and strength to reliably stand and pivot and assist with the transfer to some extent. Adaptive and safety equipment may be used in transfers, provided that the client is fully trained in the use of the equipment and can direct the transfer step by step. Adaptive equipment may include, but is not limited to, wheel chairs, tub seats, and grab bars. Gait belts may be used as a safety device for the caregiver if the caregiver has been properly trained in their use. Home services workers may assist clients in the use of a mechanical or electrical transfer device only when the client or client representative is able to direct the transfer step by step and the caregiver has been trained in the use of the mechanical or electrical transfer device and competency evaluated.

O. Regarding respiratory care; the caregiver may temporarily remove and replace a cannula or mask from the client’s face for the purposes of shaving or washing a client’s face and may provide oral suctioning.

Additional Duties of the Home Service worker:

• Familiarize themselves with their job responsibilities and limitations, as specified by each Client’s specific Service Plan.
• Complete any specialized training and competency evaluations as required by each Client’s specific Service Plan.
• Complete a minimum of eight hours of training during each year of employment to maintain placement availability.
• Follow basic hygiene and infection control practices. A listing of uniform instructions may be found in the document titled: “Infection Control Guidelines”.
• Follow employee health policies that require reporting of health symptoms and exposure to any communicable or infectious disease.
• Follow procedures related to identification and protection from potential dangers to the health and safety of the Caregiver.
• Follow basic personal and environmental safety precautions.
• Follow procedures on communicating with clients that are hard of hearing, have dementia, or have other special needs.
• Follow disaster procedures.
• Maintain a clean, healthy, and safe environment.
• Protect the confidentiality and security of client’s personal, financial, and health information as found in the document titled: “Notice of Privacy Practices”.
• Recognize behaviors that would constitute abuse or neglect and the legal prohibitions against such behaviors as well as knowledge and understanding of abuse and neglect prevention and reporting requirements.
• Recognize emergencies and have knowledge of emergency procedures including basic first aid and implementation of a client’s emergency preparedness plan.
• Report all questions and concerns to a HH Supervisor in a timely manner.

Position Requirements:

Recognize the needs and behaviors of a variety of age groups of clients treated, needs and behaviors of clients with Alzheimers and Dementia.

Written and verbal competency of the English language.

Must be able to travel to all of the service office boundaries in all extremes of weather on all types of road including expressways. (Cook , Will and DuPage County)

Must be able to assist with ambulation including turning and transferring clients up to 200 pounds.

Required to make visits to private residences which may not be accessible to people with disabilities.

If position has direct client care or direct client contact the following lifting requirement:

Ability to lift up to 35 pounds without assistance.

For client lifts of over 35 pounds, or when a client is unable to assist with the lift, client handling equipment is expected to be used, with at least one other associate, when available.

Unique client lifting/movement situations will be assessed on a case~by~case basis.

Purpose:

The purpose of this position is to help achieve the vision of Helping Hands home services by performing the duties of this position in a cost effective, results oriented and customer focused manner. This position is a critical component of the Interdisciplinary team and as such meeting individual performance expectations and contribution to team performance goals is required.

Accountabilities:

Contributes to effective client outcomes.

Responsible for providing competent client care assigned.

Participates actively in our Quality Assurance Program.

Adheres to regulatory requirements.

Responsible for conducting general work activities consistently

Demonstrates effective communication skills.

Demonstrates professionalism and works in a cooperative manner with all clients and Helping Hands employees.

CPR/BLS certification (or willing to obtain upon hire)

Completes all mandatory education and training upon hire and annually.

Education, Experience, and Certificate Requirement HHA:

• Current CPR/BLS certificate (or willing to obtain upon hire)

● High School graduate or equivalent

● Clean background and drug screen

● Active IL Driver’s License and Insurance

Job Types: Full-time, Part-time, Contract, Temporary

Pay: $17.00 - $20.00 per hour

Benefits:

• Flexible schedule

Schedule:

• 4 hour shift
• Day shift

License/Certification:

• Driver's License (Required)
• CPR Certification (Preferred)

Shift availability:

• Day Shift (Preferred)

Work Location: On the road

Salary : $17 - $20