Certified Nursing Aide Vs. Home Health Aide. What is the difference?

Knowing your options is essential when deciding on the best senior care service for an aging loved one. A certified nursing aide (CNA) and a home health aide (HHA) are the main in-home healthcare providers. Both entail providing some amount of medical aid, albeit to various degrees.

Both the CNA and the HHA provide basic healthcare services such as changing soiled bedding or bedpans, aiding clients with washing, dressing, and grooming, and performing other comparable, routine tasks.

The key distinction between the two professions is that the HHA provides more services to help complete basic duties that the CNA does not perform.

CAN and HHA responsibilities

The HHA assists patients with daily activities such as food shopping, laundry, and accompanying the elderly on walks. Depending on the state where the client lives, an HHA may also provide medication under the supervision of a nurse or any other healthcare provider.

When it comes to a patient’s life, the CNA offers significantly more advanced medical care. The CNA must report the condition and progress of their patients to a registered nurse.

A CNA will check oxygen levels and vital signs, administer drugs ordered by a physician, dress sutures, and change wound bandages—all under the supervision of a trained nurse or doctor.

The CNA can also help care for the patient’s living environment, keep the room clean and sanitary, and serve the patient during meals.

CNAs collaborate closely with patients and are typically the primary point of contact for the medical team.

Through their frequent interactions with patients, CNAs are able to observe fluctuations in the patients’ physical conditions as well as subtle changes in their emotional states, allowing them to relay this information to upper levels of the healthcare team and contribute to optimal treatment and healing.

CAN vs. HHA training

HHAs do not need to complete any formal medical education. In most cases, HHAs have at least a high school graduation. Aside from formal education, HHAs must complete hands-on training, competency testing, and standardized written examinations in front of a qualified nurse before being hired by an in-home healthcare facility such as this one here.

This requirement applies in every state in the United States. Many vocational institutions and community colleges provide training to prepare students for careers as home health aides.

Medical schools and community colleges provide certification programs for those interested in becoming nursing assistants. To practice, all CNAs must hold a state-issued license.

Some states may allow a CNA to draw blood if they have received the necessary training. In some states, the level of training a CNA obtains determines which tasks they are permitted to perform.

Whether the patient is a senior, recovering from an injury or sickness, a stroke victim, or has a disability, a home health aide or certified nursing assistant can give crucial in-home assistance to make daily life as comfortable as possible.

In-home healthcare particularly if the loved one lives alone, is critical to ensuring that they maintain an optimal quality of life.

In some cases, a home health aide and a certified nursing assistant can provide a variety of services to the same patient, especially if the senior is recovering from surgery.

The elderly person will require a certain level of advanced medical care, which a qualified CNA can provide, in order to recover at home after hospitalization; at the same time, an HHA will provide basic care, such as general housekeeping, transportation, and grocery shopping, for which the elderly person will most likely require assistance.

Hiring an elder care service company to bring an HHA to your house can provide significant relief for family caregivers.

The regular supervision and loving care that an HHA provides to older clients allows the seniors to remain in the comfort of their own homes and live as independently and safely as possible.

Difference in work environments

HHAs can work in a variety of capacities. Senior care agencies frequently hire HHAs to work in their clients’ homes, for example. HHAs can also work in elderly day care programs, independent living and retirement complexes, assisted living facilities, and senior group homes.

Many certified nursing assistants work in hospitals, daycare programs, long-term care facilities, rehabilitation centers, clients’ homes, and assisted living facilities.

CNAs’ workloads can be stressful, demanding, and fast-paced; yet, the opportunity to assist those with medical needs, as well as the joy they receive from giving such services to enhance the lives of the sick, provides daily incentives during difficult days.

Salary differences

CNAs are likely to earn more per year than HHAs due to their more comprehensive training. While this is the case, individual initiatives can help to enhance these numbers. For example, someone can provide more services or work part-time at medical facilities and institutions.

Career advancement opportunities

HHAs have limited opportunities for advancement without clinical experience, but with additional training, they can formally enter the medical professional and healthcare industries.

CNAs have a better possibility of progressing to administrative posts beyond direct care service provision. This is because they are medical professionals and have experience working in healthcare settings.

Certified nursing assistants will also have an easier transition to becoming hospital staff nurses because of the recorded experience they get while delivering home care services.

So, who to hire? Home health assistant or certified nursing assistant?

With this information, you will be better placed to choose the best care workers who will provide the best care to your senior loved one. If the needs of your loved one are more basic (and less medically related), it is better to engage a home health aide to help the senior live more comfortably.

However, if they have an underlying condition or illness (such as dementia or Alzheimer’s), it is better to hire a professional nursing assistant with medical training to provide proper care to the loved one.

Both of these professionals can work individually or with groups, and as a result, their cost structures vary.