How to Hire a Home Health Aide

Hiring a Home Health Aide

As a family’s loved one becomes less independent – whether due to age, illness, or injury – they will likely need extra help caring for that person. There are several options families have for additional care for a loved one, including personal care aides, certified nursing assistants (CNAs), and licensed nursing assistants (LNAs), but one of the most popular types of caregivers is a home health aide (HHA). According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the projected growth for HHAs between 2020 and 2030 is 33%, which is much higher than average. That’s because as the Baby Boomer generation ages, they’ll need more support.

The difference between a home health aide and other types of caregivers is the responsibilities and duties they’re able to perform. Home health aides fall somewhere in the middle of the pack when considering the amount of training they need and the tasks they can help with, which for many people is a good sweet spot when looking to hire an in-home caregiver. For example, personal care aides are not licensed and may have varying degrees of training, while an HHA must meet a federal minimum of 75 hours of training (with potentially more required by individual states). Because of this, they are trusted with more responsibilities. Here are some of the tasks HHAs are allowed to perform:

Monitor a patient’s condition
Check vital signs
Administer prescribed medications
Help with daily personal tasks, such as bathing or dressing
Perform housekeeping chores, like laundry and vacuuming
Keep a client’s schedule organized and plan appointments
Provide or arrange transportation
Shop for groceries or prepare meals to meet a client’s dietary needs

Meanwhile, CNAs and LNAs require even more training and certification, which allows them to perform more medically intensive tasks. But they also demand a higher salary.

Highest Education Level

Home Health Aides offer the following education background

Bachelor's Degree (26.4%)

Vocational Degree or Certification (21.5%)

High School or GED (21.1%)

Associate's Degree (18.1%)

Master's Degree (8.7%)

Some College (1.9%)

Doctorate Degree (1.5%)

Some High School (0.9%)

Licensing and Certification

Home Health Aides offer the following licenses and certifications
Qualifications / Skills

The following top skills are often required or desired to land a Home Health Aide position

Toileting, Hoyer Lift, Companionship, Alzheimer's Care, Ambulation, Range of Motion, Bathing, Geriatric Care, Laundry, Senior Care, Care Management, Direct Care, Developmental Disabilities, Activities of Daily Living, Meal Preparation

Average Work Experience

Here's a breakdown of the years of experience offered by Home Health Aides

Less than 1 year (39.1%)

None (31.2%)

1-2 years (23.5%)

2-4 years (6.1%)

Requirements for a Home Health Aide

As mentioned above, to employ Medicare-certified home health aides, they must have completed a certification course consisting of at least 75 hours of training. To see if your state requires more training, check here. The National Association of Home Care and Hospice offers a certification program, but many community colleges do as well.

Speaking of education, a home health aide is only required to have a high school diploma or GED. However, you may find that many applicants have at least a vocational or associate degree, and some may even have a bachelor’s. While these are nice to have, they’re not necessarily requirements for a home health aide to perform their core duties.

There are also certain skills and traits that you should look for if you want to hire the best home health aides. HHAs will work in their client’s home and form close, personal relationships with them. Therefore, they will need to have superb emotional and interpersonal skills. They must also be detailed oriented, have the endurance or stamina to work on their feet for many hours, and perform strenuous tasks like turning or lifting their client. And finally, they must be dependable and trustworthy if your clients are going to trust them to be in their homes. An extensive background check is a must for every HHA you employ.

Take a look at these other skills, education, and training your candidates should possess, including those trending on iHireNursing.

Be sure to use our free Salary Research Tool to determine a fair salary in your area.

Sample Job Ad for a Home Health Aide

It’s no secret that the healthcare job market is tough for employers right now, which is why your job ads need to stand out to attract and retain the best talent. Use the following sample home health aide job ad to get started, but don’t forget to include the basics of what makes a great job ad in mind when creating your own.

Home Health Aide

ABC Home Care Agency is looking for a Home Health Aide (HHA) to join our staff and provide quality assistance to our patients throughout Maryland. You will work with aging patients and give them the opportunity to live in their homes. Working with your nursing supervisor, you will care for patients, ensure they are comfortable, and assist them with daily living activities.

A high school diploma or GED is required, along with a current Home Health Aide certification. A professional and compassionate attitude and excellent interpersonal skills are keys to success in this role.

Job Responsibilities

Monitor patient condition and provide prescribed medication to allow them to stay in their home
Provide household support for patients by managing housekeeping and laundry services, running errands, and preparing and serving meals.
Assist patients with personal tasks, such as bathing, dressing, and grooming.
Teach family members appropriate ways to lift, turn, and re-position the patient to help them care for their loved one.
Record patient information in a patient journal and notify supervisor of unusual conditions.
Maintain a healthy patient environment by following asepsis standards and procedures
Provide a safe atmosphere by maintaining security precautions
Follow prescribed dietary requirements and nutrition standards to ensure patient stays healthy

Requirements & Qualifications

High school diploma or GED
Home health aide certification
Valid driver’s license and access to a vehicle
Stellar interpersonal and communication skills
CPR/First Aid

Top Benefits for Home Health Aides

One of the best ways to make your job ad stand out is to include the benefits that your company offers. A strong total compensation package can be the deciding factor for some candidates, so make sure you’re providing what they want. For home health aides and other positions in the medical field, that includes:

A flexible schedule or more PTO
A competitive salary
Performance related bonuses
Mentoring or professional growth opportunities

A flexible schedule might not be applicable for home health aides, but anything you can do to increase their work/life balance and prevent burnout will go a long way.

Save time and create an attention-grabbing job posting with iHire’s Job Ad Builder.

Interview Questions to Ask When Hiring a Home Health Aide

When interviewing a home health aide, your goal should be to determine if they have the right disposition and skills to handle everything the job entails. That means asking behavioral and situational questions to see how they would perform under different circumstances. Use these questions to ask when hiring a home health aide to get you started:

Why do you want to be a home health aide?
What do you think matters the most with this job?
What do you enjoy most about working with seniors?
Describe the level of care you’ve provided clients and what tasks you’ve performed.
Do you specialize in working with a specific age group?
Do you have a background working with a specific illness/injury?
How do you manage the stress that comes with being a home health aide?
What would you do if you thought that a client was being neglected?
How do you maintain a client's dignity?
How would you respond in an emergency?