Personal Care Provider at Huerfano Las Animas Area Council – Trinidad, Colorado

Job Purpose:

Personal care workers shall provide services in accordance with the policies and requirements of the South Central Council of Governments Care Services Program as well as the service arrangements spelled out in the service care plan and staff assignment. Specific assignments will be given to provider that outline tasks, frequency, and work schedule for each specific client.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Personal care providers will perform the direct service tasks as outlined in the client specific care plan as assigned by the Agency. Providers must have a tolerance for various lifestyles of people,

respect for confidentiality, ability to work under supervision and within the guidelines of a plan of care, good health, sound judgment and a sense of humor.

Personal care duties and limitations of care are delineated below:

1. Bathing – A personal care provider may assist consumers with bathing. This will include assisting client into and out of tub or shower, standby assistance while in the shower, and assisting with washing and drying areas when client is unable to do so independently.

When a consumer has skilled skin care needs or skilled dressings that will need attention before, during or after bathing, the client should be in the care of a home health agency licensed to provide skilled home health services.

2. Skin Care – A personal care provider may perform general skin care assistance. A personal care provider may perform skin care only when skin is unbroken, and when any chronic skin problems are not active.

The skin care provided by a care worker shall be preventative rather than therapeutic in nature and may include the application of non-medicated lotions and solutions, or of lotions and solutions not requiring a physician’s prescription.

Skilled skin care includes wound care other than basic first aid, dressing changes, application of prescription medications, skilled observation and reporting. Skilled skin care should only be provided by an agency licensed to provide skilled home health services.

3. Hair Care- A personal care provider may assist clients with the maintenance and appearance of their hair. Hair care within these limitations may include shampooing with a non-medicated shampoo or shampoo that does not require a physician’s prescription, drying, combing and styling of hair.

Providers are not allowed to color, perm, cut or trim client’s hair.

4. Mouth Care- A personal care worker may assist and perform mouth care. This may include denture care and basic oral hygiene.

Mouth care for clients who are unconscious, have difficulty swallowing or are at risk for choking and aspiration should be performed by an agency licensed to provide skilled home health services.

Nail Care- No nail care assistance by a personal care provider is allowed by this agency.

6. Shaving- A personal care worker may assist a client with shaving only with an electric razor.

7. Dressing- A personal care worker may assist a client with dressing. This may include assistance with ordinary clothing and application of support stockings of the type that can be purchased without a physician’s prescription. Application of orthopedic devices such as splints, braces, or artificial limbs may be done by the provider if considerable manipulation of the device is not necessary, and if the client is fully trained and can verbalize instructions on the use of the device.

A personal care worker shall not assist with the application of an ace bandage and anti-embolic or pressure stockings that can be purchased only with a physician’s prescription.

8. Toileting- A personal care worker may assist a client to and from the bathroom, provide assistance with bedpans, urinals and commodes; perform pericare, or change clothing and pads of any kind used for the care of incontinence.

A personal care worker may empty urinary collection devices, such as catheter bags. In all cases, the insertion and removal of catheters and care of external catheters is considered skilled care and shall not be performed by a personal care worker.

A personal care worker may empty ostomy bags and provide assistance with other client-directed ostomy care only when there is no need for skilled skin care or for observation or reporting to a nurse. A personal care worker shall not perform digital stimulation, insert suppositories or give an enema.

9. Ambulation- A personal care provider may generally assist clients with ambulation who have the ability to balance and bear weight. If the client has been determined by a health professional to be independent with an assistive device, a personal care provider may be assigned to assist with ambulation with the use of walker or cane.

Exercise- A personal care worker may assist a consumer with exercise. However, this does not include assistance with a plan of exercise prescribed by a licensed health care professional. A worker may remind the consumer to perform the ordered exercise program. Assistance with exercise that can be performed by a personal care worker is limited to the encouragement of normal bodily movement, as tolerated, on the part of the client and encouragement with a prescribed exercise program.

A personal care worker shall not perform passive range of motion.

11. Positioning- A personal care worker may assist a client with positioning when the client is able to identify to the personal care worker verbally, non-verbally or through others, when the position needs to be changed and only when skilled skin care as previously described, is not required in conjunction with the positions. Positioning may include simple alignment in a bed, wheelchair, or other furniture.

12. Feeding- Assistance with feeding may generally be performed by a personal care provider. Personal care providers can assist clients with feeding may generally be performed by a personal care provider. Personal care providers can assist clients with feeding when the client can independently chew and swallow without difficulty and be positioned upright.

Assistance by a personal care provider does not include syringe, tube feedings and intravenous

nutrition. Whenever there is a high risk that the consumer may choke as a result of the feeding the client should be in the care of an agency licensed to provide home health services.

13. Transfers – A personal care worker may assist with transfers only when the client has sufficient balance and strength to reliably stand and pivot and assist with the transfer to some extent. Adaptive and safety equipment may be used in transfers, provided that the client and personal care worker are fully trained in the use of the equipment and can direct the transfer step by step. Adaptive equipment may include, but is not limited to, wheelchairs, tub seats, and grab bars. Gait belts may be used in a transfer as a safety device for the personal care provider as long as the provider has been properly trained in its use.

A personal care worker shall not perform assistance with transfers when the consumer is unable to assist with the transfer.

A personal care worker may assist the informal (family) caregiver with transferring the client provided the client is able to direct and assist with the transfer.

14. Medication Reminding- A personal care worker may assist a client with medication reminding only when medications have been preselected by the consumer, a family member, a nurse, or a pharmacist, and are stored in containers other than the prescriptions bottles, such as medication minders. Medication minder containers shall be clearly marked as today and time of dosage and reminding includes inquiries as to whether medications were taken; verbal prompting to take medications; handing the appropriately marked medication minder container to the client; and opening the appropriately marked medication minder container for the client if the client is physically unable to open the container. These limitations apply to all prescription and all over-the-counter medications. Any irregularities noted in the pre-selected medications such as medications taken too often, not often enough or not at the correct time as marked in the medications such as medications taken too often, not often enough or not at the correct time as

marked in the medication minder container, shall be reported immediately by the personal care worker to the supervisor.

15. Respiratory Care- Respiratory care is considered skilled care and shall not be performed by a personal care worker. Respiratory care includes postural drainage, cupping, adjusting oxygen flow within established parameters, nasal, endotracheal and tracheal suctioning.

A personal care provider may temporarily remove and replace a cannula or mask from the client’s face for the purposes of shaving or washing a client’s face.

A personal care provider may set a consumer’s oxygen flow according to written instruction when

changing tasks, provided the personal care provider has been specifically trained and demonstrated competency for this task.

16. Accompaniment- Accompanying the consumer to medical appointments, banking errands, basic household errands, clothing shopping, grocery shopping or other excursions to the extent necessary and as specified on the care plan may be performed by the personal care provider when all the care that is provided by the personal care staff in relation to the trip is unskilled personal care, as described in these regulations.

17. Protective Oversight- A personal care worker may provide protective oversight including stand-by assistance with any personal care task described in these regulations. When the consumer requires protective oversight to prevent wandering, the personal care worker shall have been trained in appropriate intervention and redirection techniques.

HOMEMAKER DUTIES

Homemaking- A personal care worker may provide housekeeping services such as dusting, vacuuming, sweeping, mopping; cleaning of the bathroom, meal preparation, dishwashing, linen changes, laundry and shopping in accordance with the care plan.

1. Bathroom cleaning will include cleaning and disinfecting the toilet, commode, bedpan, sink, shower and tub area, floor sweeping and mopping, vanity countertop and mirror cleaning.

2. Kitchen cleaning will include wiping up spills in the refrigerator and tossing out old food; cleaning of counter tops; cabinet doors; refrigerator cleaning; freezer defrosting; stove top and oven cleaning.

This will be done routinely as part of the kitchen cleaning process in order to maintain a clean and

sanitary environment.

3. Dishwashing includes washing dishes, wiping the counter, the top of the stove or inside of the

microwave, and the outside of other kitchen appliances.

4. When meal preparation is provided, the personal care worker should receive instruction regarding any special diet requirements. Meals that can be prepared include breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. For meals with long cooking times, the assumption is that other tasks are being performed during the cooking time.

Additional Exclusions

In addition to the exclusions prescribed in the preceding section, personal care providers are not allowed to:

1. Perform skilled home health services of any kind

2. Perform or provide medication set-up for a client;

3. Provide transportation services to client; or

4. Perform other actions specifically prohibited by the SCCOG policy, regulations or law.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Highschool Diploma or GED equivalent
• A valid Colorado Driver License

Working Conditions

This job operates in the homes of clients who receive services through South Central Council of Governments as well as the community.

Physical Requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle or feel; and reach with hands and arms.

The employee is occasionally required to sit, climb, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl. The employee must frequently lift and move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and move objects up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.