What is a Health Care Assistant?

In British Columbia the term Health Care Assistant (HCA) is used to describe a variety of workers including, but not limited to, the following titles: Community Health Worker, Care Aide, Residential Care Attendant, Nurse’s Aide, Assisted Living Worker, Home Support Worker and Personal Support Worker.

These frontline care providers are an integral and valued part of a multi-disciplinary team that work in a variety of practice settings including home support, assisted living, residential/complex care, special care units, acute care and other home and community settings.

While the educational requirements are the same, the work environments are very different. A Care Aide works in a team environment or acute facility and a Community Health Worker works independently, travelling to client’s homes. The demographic cared for are generally medically fragile, cognitively complex, and diverse in age.

Typical Responsibilities of a Care Aide or Community Health Worker may include:

• Personal care and activities of daily living including; bathing, taking temperature, personal grooming, skin care, medication reminders, pulse and respiration, and oral hygiene
• Non-sterile dressing applications
• Mobility and transfer assistance with related lifts
• Observing and reporting changes in resident/client behaviour and condition