If you are a naturally caring, practical, and empathetic person, you might find employment with your Area Agency on Aging a natural fit. Learning how to become a personal care aide in Arkansas can be a great experience for many people, on a paid or voluntary basis.
Positions as personal care aids are more widely available than most jobs, partly due to an ever-increasing aging population. This job can be tough, but it can also be rewarding, mentally and physically stimulating, and satisfying to provide a means of allowing older adults to remain in their home as long as possible. Learn more about how to become a personal care aide in Arkansas and what to expect from the position.
What Do Personal Care Aides Do?
Personal care aides provide invaluable support and care to elderly and vulnerable people. The job can be very diverse: In addition to ensuring your patient’s practical needs and welfare are fully met, you may provide socialization and a positive impact on mental wellbeing.
A personal care aide under employment with an Area Agency on Aging is a professional. Although they may perform on a voluntary basis for a family member or loved one, the position can be paid work. Ultimately, the responsibility of this position is to support a person with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) and help provide a more fulfilling, more comfortable life.
Personal Care Aide Responsibilities
The responsibilities of a personal care aide in Arkansas vary depending on the setting. Personal care aides in the community visit people in their homes and help with day-to-day tasks; light housekeeping; preparing meals; or helping with some grooming. Personal care aides also work in nursing homes, hospitals, and long-term care settings.
A personal care aide may be informal — family and friends who know the fundamental caring skills necessary can act as an informal care aide. In-home caregivers like this can be a vital part of a team to extend independence.
The tasks of a personal care aide may include (but are not limited to):
- Personal hygiene help (bathing, tending hair, or assisting with brushing teeth);
- Help around the home (doing laundry, tidying up, making healthy meals easily accessible, and ensuring the home is safe);
- Dressing;
- Providing conversation and emotional support;
- Assisting any other staff members involved in a care plan with tasks and activities; or
- Supporting a person with hobbies, social activities, and fine/gross motor skills
Employment with your Area Agency on Aging
First and foremost, you should have a personal interest in healthcare and caring for others. Have you taken care of a loved one in an informal capacity before, or have you been interested in providing meaningful assistance to others? Learning how to become a personal care aide in Arkansas might be right for you!
Essential Qualities of a Personal Care Aide
Not everybody is suited to be a personal care aide. A special type of person is essential to keeping up with the daily demands of the job. Personal care aides should be:
- Sensitive and empathic,
- Kind and respectful,
- Culturally sensitive,
- Able to multi task,
- Able to work long hours standing up,
- Committed to ongoing professional development,
- Responsible and accountable,
- Communicative with good written and verbal skills,
- Patient and discrete,
- Openminded, and
- Have a good sense of humor.
If you think you possess these essential caregiving qualities, employment with an AAA can be a great way to get started becoming a personal care aide in Arkansas.
Qualifications of Personal Care Aides in Arkansas
A personal care aide is generally expected to have their high school diploma and preferably a driver’s license. As this is a caring role involving vulnerable people, you must be able to pass a background check and drug screening. Under employment with Area Agency on Aging, training is provided to ensure new personal care aides are equipped with the appropriate skills and knowledge.
Supervision is vital to the success of a personal care aide’s career. A registered nurse (RN) and/or qualified supervisors oversee all care aides to ensure both patient and care aide are fully supported, safe, and following protocol. They can also be a help in the face of challenging encounters or a particularly difficult scenario in the workplace.
Personal Care Aide Evaluations
To ensure due diligence, personal care aides undergo regular performance evaluations in addition to supervision. Aspects of the job that are usually evaluated include:
- How clients respond,
- Reliability,
- Honesty,
- Adherence to policy, and
- Commitment to the role.
How To Become A Personal Care Aide in Arkansas
A variety of positions are available, whether you have years of experience or are still discovering how to become a personal care aide in Arkansas. The demand for personal care aides will continue to grow alongside the population of aging Arkansans. If you feel you have the necessary skills, attributes, and professional aspirations to become a personal care aide in Arkansas, you can apply for employment with an Area Agency on Aging.
Being a personal care aide can be an extremely rewarding career. Carers are in a unique position to develop and maintain good relationships with clients. The position also lets older and vulnerable adults live more independently and remain in their own home longer than living alone allows.
Personal care aide roles can also be flexible. People who have other commitments often find the position allows them to work around their other requirements or jobs.
Care aids often learn skills that transfer not only to other jobs but to their own lives. Furthermore, employment as a personal care aide comes with plenty of room for professional development. After gaining experience, you can apply for more senior positions. If you decide to return to school for further certification, you already have a wide skillset in the healthcare industry.
For More Information about Employment with AAAs
If you want to learn more about how to become a personal care aide in Arkansas, you can contact us today about employment with an AAA. Additionally, if you prefer to start by learning as much as possible before training, check out these ebooks. Call us today at (866)-447-3102 or send us a message and we will get back with you!
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