Choosing the right type of senior care service for an aging loved one requires a thorough understanding your options. In-home healthcare can involve either a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) or a Home Health Aide (HHA), each offering different levels of medical assistance.

Both CNAs and HHAs provide essential healthcare, such as changing soiled sheets and assisting with bathing, dressing, and grooming, among other routine services. However, the main distinction lies in their scope of duties: HHAs offer additional support for basic tasks that CNAs do not typically handle while CNAs can offer a higher level of medical care.

What is an HHA?

A home health aide (HHA) is a caregiver that can assist with non-medical care needs. HHAs can help patients with activities of daily living (ADLs) such as dressing, bathing, toileting, transferring, eating, and other self-care and personal hygiene tasks. They can also help with household tasks such as meal preparation, light housekeeping, and providing transportation.

What is a CNA?

A certified nursing assistant (CNA) is an entry level healthcare professional that provides direct health care under the supervision of a nurse. CNAs do many of the same duties as an HHA such as bathing and grooming patients, feeding patients, and cleaning bed linens. The main difference is that CNAs have more medical training that allows them to do things such as dressing wounds and checking vital signs.

HHA and CNA Responsibilities

The HHA supports activities such as grocery shopping, laundry, and accompanying seniors on walks. They also provide personal care and assistance to help seniors with ADLs and hygiene. In some states, an HHA may also administer medication under a nurse’s supervision.

In contrast, a CNA provides more advanced medical care, working under a registered or licensed practical nurse. They report patients’ conditions and progress to these nurses. Due to liability and legal constraints, CNAs are restricted from performing certain medical tasks.

A CNA will monitor oxygen levels and vital signs, administer medications prescribed by a physician, dress sutures and change wound bandages—under the direction of a registered nurse or doctor. The CNA can also help tend to the patient’s living environment, maintain the cleanliness and sanitation of the room, and help feed a patient during meals.

CNAs work very closely with patients and are frequently the first point of contact with the medical team. CNAs, through their frequent interactions with patients, are able to observe the fluctuations in the patients’ physical conditions and the subtle changes in their emotional states, thereby allowing them to relay this information to upper levels of the healthcare team and contribute to furthering optimal treatment and healing.

Work Environments

HHAs can work in various capacities. Oftentimes, HHAs are employed by senior care agencies to work in clients’ homes, for instance. HHAs also can work in day programs for the elderly, independent living and retirement communities, assisted living facilities, and group homes for seniors.

Many CNAs work in hospitals, day programs, long-term care facilities, rehabilitation centers, clients’ homes, and assisted living facilities. The workload of CNAs can be stressful, demanding and fast-paced; however, the opportunity to help those with medical needs and the fulfillment they experience in providing such services to improve the lives of those who are ill offers motivation during challenging days.

Training

No formal education is required of HHAs. Normally, however, HHAs possess at least a high school diploma. Aside from formal schooling, HHAs must undergo hands-on training and pass a competency examination and standardized written tests in the presence of a registered nurse before they can be hired by an in-home healthcare agency. This requirement is the case in every state in the US. Many vocational schools and community colleges offer training to prepare an individual for a career as a home health aide.

Medical schools and community colleges offer certification programs for those who wish to pursue a career path as a certified nursing assistant. All CNAs require a state-issued license to practice in their field. If a CNA has appropriate training, some states may allow the CNA to draw blood, for instance. The level of training a CNA receives can dictate, in some states, certain tasks he or she can undertake.

Do I Need an HHA or CNA?

Whether the patient is a senior, stroke victim, an individual recovering from an injury or illness, or an individual with a disability, a home health aide or a certified nursing assistant can provide invaluable in-home assistance to help make daily life as comfortable as possible. Especially if the loved one lives alone, in-home healthcare is essential to helping him or her sustain an optimal quality of life.

In some instances, both a home health aide and a certified nursing assistant can provide a range of services for the same patient, particularly when the senior is recovering from a surgery. The elderly individual will require a certain level of advanced medical care, which a qualified CNA can provide, to recover at home after hospitalization; at the same time, an HHA will offer basic care, in the form of general housekeeping, transportation, and grocery shopping, with which the elderly individual will likely need assistance.

Home Care Services from Assisting Hands

Contacting an elder care service to provide a Home Health Aide (HHA) can significantly ease the burden on family caregivers. With continuous supervision and compassionate care, an HHA allows seniors to stay comfortably in their homes while maintaining their independence and safety.

Assisting Hands Home Care is a licensed elder care agency specializing in non-medical in-home care services for those in need of compassionate support. Families too busy to oversee the daily care of an aging loved one will find great benefit in the assistance provided by a home health aide. Our skilled team at Assisting Hands Home Care collaborates with the family to understand their loved one’s specific needs and create a personalized care program to assist with daily activities.

Assisting Hands Home Care offers a comprehensive range of care services, including fall prevention assessments, transportation to appointments, help with household tasks, and flexible scheduling to accommodate family needs. We can provide home health aides around the clock, any day of the week, whether for short-term or long-term care, depending on the client’s requirements. For those needing continuous assistance, 24-hour live-in care is also available. This flexibility is invaluable for working families. Assisting Hands Home Care proudly serves the elderly population in Downers Grove, Naperville, and the surrounding areas in DuPage and Cook counties. To learn more, call us at (630) 407-1932.