Learn more about CFSS in Minnesota
As a personal care assistant, or PCA, your role comes with a lot of scope and often varies from person to person. Home care duties always depend on the individual needs of the recipient of care, where he or she lives, and what other forms of assistance this person might have.
Still, having an idea of the basic duties of a personal care assistant can help you plan your day and ensure you’ve covered all the necessities! It’s also great to know what the duties can look like, if you’re considering a career in this field.
When it comes to the question of “what does a PCA do?”, the general idea is to help your recipient of care perform any and all activities that he or she would usually do independently. In general, a PCA may perform duties in the following key areas.
The first main area of responsibilities of a PCA is helping the recipient of care with personal care tasks. This will include any grooming and hygiene tasks that the person can’t manage alone, ranging from bathing, shaving, and brushing hair and teeth.
Depending on the individual, there may be extra tasks that you can do to help the person feel independent, such as particular hairstyles, painting their nails, or other small aspects of personal care. A big part of being a PCA is being a companion to the recipient and helping the person feel good on a daily basis, so little extras like these can really brighten up someone’s day.
Some recipients of care are no longer able to drive or manage mobility, so the duties of a PCA can also extend to helping the person get around. Organizing a ride to the hospital or to make a social visit are just a few examples of how to help people move around from place to place.
Home care duties can also go beyond caring for the recipient and extend to doing tasks around the house to help maintain a good quality of life. For example, a PCA might take care of laundry, meal preparation, or basic cleaning tasks around the home, like dusting or vacuuming.
For more information on what it takes to become a PCA, why not speak to a member of the Best Care team? They are more than happy to answer any questions you might have about the daily responsibilities of a personal care assistant!
