Patient Caregiver at Hospice House (HHA, CNA, TMA)

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Job Description

Job Title: Patient Caregiver at Hospice House (HHA, CNA, TMA)

Reports To: Clinical Director

Shift: Full-Time, Part-Time, Casual

Profile

Reporting to the Clinical Director, the Caregiver’s primary role is to provide quality care and compassionate service to each patient we serve, as part of the interdisciplinary team.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Patient Care:

  • Ensuring that each patient of the Prairie Home Hospice House receives quality clinical care and compassionate service consistently and according to the care plan.
  • Assist with personal care and dressing as needed. May include:  tub, shower, or bed bath, oral hygiene, shaving, toileting, oral care, nail care, skin care, foot care, pressure relief, dressing patient, feeding patient or other personal care needs.
  • Assist patients with transferring and ambulation as needed. May include: repositioning, walking, range of motion exercises, prescribed exercises, etc.
  • Assist patients in taking prescribed medications as needed and under the delegation of the Registered Nurse.
  • Provide care that is consistent with the individual patient’s Care Plan.
  • Identify, communicate and document patient’s status, changes in pain, symptoms, etc.  and document the care or services provided.
  • Provide a comfortable atmosphere and emotional support for patients and their families.
  • Be present for patients and their families.
    • Invite conversation, but respect the right of each patient and/or family to choose not to converse
      • Encourage conversation about the patient’s life experiences
      • Invite questions and open dialogue about the patient’s care, expectations, wishes, etc.
    • Respect the wishes and needs of the patient and/or family
    • Respect the privacy of each patient and their family
    • Listen – or just “be there”
  • Perform routine housekeeping tasks for patients. May include:  laundry, cleaning kitchen and bathrooms, keeping patient’s room tidy, making beds, changing linens, and various other housekeeping tasks necessary to keep the patient’s living areas clean.
  • Prepare and serve modified diets as prescribed and prepare food and/or meals as needed or requested.
  • Maintain a clean, safe and healthy environment for patients.
  • Support and assist volunteers (as needed) who are assigned to assist the patient and/or family.
  • Complete at least 12 in-service training hours annually in topics relevant to home and/or hospice care.
  • Perform all other duties as assigned.

Care Team:

  • Participate as an active and engaged member of the patient’s care team, collaborating and communicating as needed to ensure that we are providing the highest quality of care and compassionate service.

Compliance, Documentation & Reporting:

  • Acquire a sound working understanding of regulatory/compliance policies and procedures
  • Follow all policies and procedures established by Prairie Home Hospice and assist in ensuring that Prairie Home Hospice is meeting or exceeding all state, federal, and industry standards for hospice care as it relates to compliance and regulations
  • Acquire a sound working understand of documentation policies and procedures for documenting patient care and services and ensure that you are following all documentation policies and procedures adopted by Prairie Home Hospice and/or required by state and/or federal regulations

Physical and Environmental Requirements:

  • Demonstrate the ability to perform essential functions for a maximum of a 10-hour shift.
  • Demonstrate the ability to protect a client when the client is standing and ambulating on all surfaces with or without the use of assistive devices, including canes, crutches and walkers.
  • Demonstrate the ability to safely move a client over 100 pounds from one surface to another using the appropriate level of help.
  • Demonstrate safe body mechanics in the process of all client treatments, including lifting and carrying small equipment (under 50 pounds) and moving large equipment (over 50 pounds).
  • Demonstrate the ability to manipulate dials on equipment.
  • Demonstrate the ability to coordinate simultaneous motions.
  • Demonstrate the ability to perform occasional overhead extension.
  • Demonstrate the ability to hear blood pressure, heart and lung sounds with or without corrective devices.
  • Demonstrate the ability to palpate soft tissue including pulse, muscle and bones.
  • Demonstrate the ability to perform nursing interventions such as sterile procedures, dressing changes following infection control procedures.
  • Demonstrate the ability to administer medications (IM, Sub Q, IV, suppositories etc. (including dosage calculations) when necessary.
  • Display adaptability to change.
  • Establish effective relationships with others.
  • Communicate effectively, safely and efficiently in English (both written and spoken) by:
    • Explaining procedures
    • Receiving information from others
    • Receiving information from written documents
    • Exhibiting appropriate interpersonal skill (refer to ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses)
    • Analyzing and documenting assessment findings and interventions.
  • Distinguish color changes.
  • Detect an unsafe environment and carry out appropriate emergency procedures including:
    • Detecting subtle environmental changes and odors including, but not limited to, the smell of burning electrical equipment, smoke, and spills.
    • Detect high and low frequency sounds, including but not limited to, alarms, bells, and emergency signals.
  • If there are any reasons why you may not be able to perform these functions with or without reasonable accommodations, you must notify the Clinical Director.

Other Responsibilities Include:

  • Communicating patient needs to Supervisor or Clinical Director.
  • Communicating volunteer needs to Supervisor or Clinical Director.
  • Participating in efforts to create a healthy work environment within Prairie Home Hospice.
  • Participate in and support Prairie Home Hospice programs, events, fundraisers, etc., and make every effort to contribute positively to the overall success of the organization. 
  • Providing input and feedback to management in efforts to provide quality care, compassionate service and a positive, healthy work environment across the organization.
  • Completing educational requirements necessary to maintain certification and/or skills and knowledge necessary to successfully carry out job duties as assigned. 
  • Maintaining patient confidentiality at all times.
  • Represents the organization in a positive and professional manner in the community.
  • Arrives on time as scheduled for work shifts and/or patient visits.

Other:

  • Prairie Home Hospice & Community Care can best serve our clients and their families by working as a team. While each staff and volunteer may have a primary role, we also have a responsibility to support the team in any way in which we can help to make the team stronger and the services we provide the very highest quality possible. To that end, all employees are expected to contribute positively to a healthy, mutually supportive team environment, which at times requires a delicate balance and the prioritization between individually assigned roles and responsibilities and the broader needs of the organization and team.
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Apply today to find out more about this exciting career opportunity at Prairie Home Hospice & Community Care!

Prairie Home Hospice and Community Care is an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.