Personal care attendants may also be known as personal care aides or personal care assistants (PCA). These professionals help people living with physical or mental disabilities perform day-to-day activities and lead normal lives.
Duties and Responsibilities
As a PCA, you help aging and disabled individuals perform routine living activities. Depending on your employment agency, you may provide care at a residential care facility, hospital, or in patients’ homes. Your most common tasks typically include routine cleaning, cooking, housekeeping chores, and personal hygiene assistance.
While caring for clients in their homes, you may also have to provide transportation to appointments or run other errands. You may also provide companionship to your clients as they adjust to their new lifestyle.
You will likely work under the supervision of a licensed nurse, social worker, or some sort of non-medical manager, and you’ll be expected to keep detailed client records and report any significant changes in your clients’ conditions to your supervisor. Although personal care attendants can’t provide medical services, you may be asked to perform some basic healthcare-related procedures, such as monitoring and recording vital signs, following the direction of your supervisor.