Advanced Training for Home Health Aides Is Changing the Way Americans Age in Place

When Mary, a longtime home health aide, was asked to fill in for one of her colleagues recently, she found that her new client wasn't even attempting to follow the vegetable-rich diet prescribed by her physician. "I began digging deeper to find out why she wasn't eating in a healthier way," Mary recalls. "When she told me she didn't really know how to prepare vegetables in a way she liked, I offered to cook some dishes for her. She ended up loving them, and today her entire diet has changed for the better!" Mary's story reflects the expanding role of home health aides (HHAs) today. While their responsibilities have traditionally entailed helping clients with daily activities such as bathing and dressing, maintaining a safe, clean household and shopping for groceries, they are becoming increasingly involved in hands-on health care, as well. In Mary's case, she has benefited from a program offered by my organization, Visiting Nurse Service of New York, that trains HHAs to act as "health coaches." The program, supported by a grant from New York State, teaches HHAs with Partners in Care, our private-pay division, how to motivate clients to eat better, stop smoking, take their medications as prescribed, and follow other healthy behaviors. These types of programs reflect a growing realization that HHAs have the potential to be one of America's most valuable health care resources. As America's baby boom generation reaches retirement age, there is an increasing need for support sys...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news