Personal Care Assistant
Encyclopedia
A Personal Care Assistant (PCA) - variously known under alternate names such as caregiver, personal care attendant, patient care assistant, personal support worker and home care aide - is a paid, employed person who helps persons who are disabled or chronically ill with their activities of daily living
(ADLs) whether within the home, outside the home, or both. They assist clients with personal, physical mobility and therapeutic care needs, usually as per care plans established by a rehabilitation health practitioner, social worker or other health care professional
.
While there is no single definition or professional title for PCAs, in general they may be distinguished as persons who carry out their work as part of the formal health and social services labour market
, in contrast to relatives, friends and others who are unpaid for their caregiving activities.
, they usually do not require extensive health care knowledge or training to practice their profession, but typically require a high level of manual dexterity and good interpersonal communication skills.
Personal care assistants help clients with mobility restrictions to get out of bed, bathe, dress, and groom. They may provide some basic health-related services, such as checking the patient's pulse rate, temperature, and respiration rate; helping with simple prescribed exercises; and assisting with medications administration. They may advise families and patients on nutrition, cleanliness, and household tasks. Depending on the clients' needs, they may change simple dressings, provide skin care, or assist with braces and artificial limbs. Some accompany clients to doctors' appointments or on other errands, and may also provide light housekeeping and homemaking tasks.
A PCA may be either independently contracted on a freelance basis directly by the person needing the assistance or their family, or employed by a larger staff network of care providers, such as in an assisted living facility, or employed by a private, government-operated or community-based organization that systematically dispatches providers of personal care to persons in need. The PCA may work exclusively with one client, or have a number of different clients. Some PCAs work with clients with long-term care
needs, while others may primarily help discharge hospital patients who have relatively short-term needs.
There is no single model for how a PCA may be employed or paid, just like there is no single model for a larger health and social care system
. The services of a PCA may be paid directly for some clients under a universal coverage health care system
. Or financial assistance programs for the disabled may exist amidst the structure of a country's welfare system, with 'supplement' schemes meant to provide individuals with funds to enable PCA care. Or PCAs may be wholly self-employed and only work for clients who can pay set fees. Because a PCA does not generally provide round-the-clock care or stay overnight at a client's residence, most PCAs work in shifts to meet individual clients' needs.
In some countries, PCAs must receive formal training and pass a competency test in areas such as personal hygiene, safe transfer techniques, reading and recording vital signs, infection control, and basic nutrition in order to qualify to work for certified personal care service agencies that receive reimbursement from social insurance programs, such as Medicare
or Medicaid
in the United States.
In some developed countries, a carers rights movement
has developed in which, its PCAs claim, there does not exist adequate program funding to give rise to adequate pay for the often very intense and physically demanding work. The fact that most persons who are disabled or chronically ill tend to have very limited individual financial resources to pay, or even to supplement, the PCAs' wages themselves, means that this lack of funding for all parties possibly creates stressful work environments for both the workers and their clients.
Activities of daily living
Activities of Daily Living is a term used in healthcare to refer to daily self-care activities within an individual's place of residence, in outdoor environments, or both...
(ADLs) whether within the home, outside the home, or both. They assist clients with personal, physical mobility and therapeutic care needs, usually as per care plans established by a rehabilitation health practitioner, social worker or other health care professional
Health care provider
A health care provider is an individual or an institution that provides preventive, curative, promotional or rehabilitative health care services in a systematic way to individuals, families or communities....
.
While there is no single definition or professional title for PCAs, in general they may be distinguished as persons who carry out their work as part of the formal health and social services labour market
Labour economics
Labor economics seeks to understand the functioning and dynamics of the market for labor. Labor markets function through the interaction of workers and employers...
, in contrast to relatives, friends and others who are unpaid for their caregiving activities.
Training and employment
Personal care assistants provide routine health and personal care support and assistance with activities of daily living to patients with physical impairments or disabilities in private homes, nursing care facilities, and other residential settings. According to the International Standard Classification of OccupationsInternational Standard Classification of Occupations
The International Standard Classification of Occupations is an International Labour Organization classification structure for organizing information on labour and jobs. It is part of the international family of economic and social classifications of the United Nations...
, they usually do not require extensive health care knowledge or training to practice their profession, but typically require a high level of manual dexterity and good interpersonal communication skills.
Personal care assistants help clients with mobility restrictions to get out of bed, bathe, dress, and groom. They may provide some basic health-related services, such as checking the patient's pulse rate, temperature, and respiration rate; helping with simple prescribed exercises; and assisting with medications administration. They may advise families and patients on nutrition, cleanliness, and household tasks. Depending on the clients' needs, they may change simple dressings, provide skin care, or assist with braces and artificial limbs. Some accompany clients to doctors' appointments or on other errands, and may also provide light housekeeping and homemaking tasks.
A PCA may be either independently contracted on a freelance basis directly by the person needing the assistance or their family, or employed by a larger staff network of care providers, such as in an assisted living facility, or employed by a private, government-operated or community-based organization that systematically dispatches providers of personal care to persons in need. The PCA may work exclusively with one client, or have a number of different clients. Some PCAs work with clients with long-term care
Long-term care
Long-term care is a variety of services which help meet both the medical and non-medical need of people with a chronic illness or disability who cannot care for themselves for long periods of time....
needs, while others may primarily help discharge hospital patients who have relatively short-term needs.
There is no single model for how a PCA may be employed or paid, just like there is no single model for a larger health and social care system
Health care system
A health care system is the organization of people, institutions, and resources to deliver health care services to meet the health needs of target populations....
. The services of a PCA may be paid directly for some clients under a universal coverage health care system
Universal health care
Universal health care is a term referring to organized health care systems built around the principle of universal coverage for all members of society, combining mechanisms for health financing and service provision.-History:...
. Or financial assistance programs for the disabled may exist amidst the structure of a country's welfare system, with 'supplement' schemes meant to provide individuals with funds to enable PCA care. Or PCAs may be wholly self-employed and only work for clients who can pay set fees. Because a PCA does not generally provide round-the-clock care or stay overnight at a client's residence, most PCAs work in shifts to meet individual clients' needs.
In some countries, PCAs must receive formal training and pass a competency test in areas such as personal hygiene, safe transfer techniques, reading and recording vital signs, infection control, and basic nutrition in order to qualify to work for certified personal care service agencies that receive reimbursement from social insurance programs, such as Medicare
Medicare (United States)
Medicare is a social insurance program administered by the United States government, providing health insurance coverage to people who are aged 65 and over; to those who are under 65 and are permanently physically disabled or who have a congenital physical disability; or to those who meet other...
or Medicaid
Medicaid
Medicaid is the United States health program for certain people and families with low incomes and resources. It is a means-tested program that is jointly funded by the state and federal governments, and is managed by the states. People served by Medicaid are U.S. citizens or legal permanent...
in the United States.
Current issues
Around the world, demand for PCA services is expected to rise sharply over the next three decades with population ageing and rapid increases in the number of persons reaching the oldest age groups and in need of personal assistance and long-term care.In some developed countries, a carers rights movement
Carers rights movement
The Carers rights movement attempts to address the issues of low income, social exclusion, damage to mental and physical health and lack of recognition that have been identified by research articles and studies of unpaid carers...
has developed in which, its PCAs claim, there does not exist adequate program funding to give rise to adequate pay for the often very intense and physically demanding work. The fact that most persons who are disabled or chronically ill tend to have very limited individual financial resources to pay, or even to supplement, the PCAs' wages themselves, means that this lack of funding for all parties possibly creates stressful work environments for both the workers and their clients.
See also
- Health care providerHealth care providerA health care provider is an individual or an institution that provides preventive, curative, promotional or rehabilitative health care services in a systematic way to individuals, families or communities....
s - Unlicensed assistive personnelUnlicensed assistive personnelUnlicensed assistive personnel is an umbrella term to describe a job class of paraprofessionals who assist individuals with physical disabilities, mental impairments, and other health care needs with their activities of daily living and provide bedside care — including basic nursing...
- Long-term careLong-term careLong-term care is a variety of services which help meet both the medical and non-medical need of people with a chronic illness or disability who cannot care for themselves for long periods of time....
- Caregiving