Personal Care Assistance (PCA) - Caregiver in the home
Personal Care Assistance is a higher level of service than homemaking and companion, yet often includes both aspects of those services in addition to hands-on care of the client. PCA's are typically a great help for those who want to age in their own homes, but struggle with many daily activities such as bathing and food preparation. PCA's are also able to so some housekeeping for the client being served. A Personal Care Assistance is often a wonderful solution for many adult children struggling to find care for their elderly parent.
PCA's typically work at least 3 hours at a time and can also provide 24 hour care.
The types of hands-on care a PCA may perform includes physical or verbal assistance to an individual in accomplishing the following activities:
- bathing
- dressing
- toileting
- transferring
- feeding
- cueing/reminders for the client to take their medication (but does not include dispensing medication).
Other services PCA's often perform include: - meal preparation
- shopping
- housekeeping
- laundry