Home Health Care Aides

Certification or Licensing

The National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners offers the certified personal care home care professional credential for those who provide care to persons with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease in home care, hospice care, or in a licensed personal-care home industry. Applicants must meet experience and education requirements. Visit https://www.nccdp.org/cpchcp for more information. Certification is also provided by state and local home care associations and local training programs.

The federal government has enacted guidelines for home health aides whose employers receive reimbursement from Medicare. Federal law requires home health aides to pass a competency test covering 12 areas: communication skills; documentation of patient status and care provided; reading and recording vital signs; basic infection control procedures; basic body functions; maintenance of a healthy environment; emergency procedures; physical, emotional, and developmental characteristics of patients; personal hygiene and grooming; safe transfer techniques; normal range of motion and positioning; and basic nutrition.

Federal law suggests at least 75 hours of classroom and practical training supervised by a registered nurse. Training and testing programs may be offered by the employing agency, but they must meet the standards of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Training programs vary depending on state regulations.