I. General Information

1. Course Title:
Home Health Aide

2. Course Prefix & Number:
NSGA 1115

3. Course Credits and Contact Hours:

Credits: 1

Lecture Hours: 1

Lab Hours: 0

4. Course Description:

This course introduces the skills and knowledge required of the Home Health Aide-Homemaker. 

5. Placement Tests Required:

6. Prerequisite Courses:

9. Co-requisite Courses:

II. Transfer and Articulation

1. Course Equivalency - similar course from other regional institutions:

Northwest Technical College, Home Health Aide, 1 credit
Itasca Community College, Home Health Aide Training, 1 credit

III. Course Purpose

1. Program-Applicable Courses – This course is required for the following program(s):

Home Health Aide Certificate

IV. Learning Outcomes

1. College-Wide Outcomes

2. Course Specific Outcomes - Students will be able to achieve the following measurable goals upon completion of the course:

• demonstrate practices
• describe home health aide – homemaker service
• describe role of the home health aide – homemaker
• describe care of newborns & children
• describe care of the chemically dependent family
• describe care of the mentally disabled
• describe responsibilities to client and family within the established care plan
• demonstrate accurate recording and reporting of observations and activities
• demonstrate maintenance of a clean healthy environment
• identify appropriate role and tasks of the homemaker
• teach performance of basic housekeeping skills
• identify methods of time & energy conservation while providing services
• identify resources within the client family
• describe available community resources 

V. Topical Outline

Listed below are major areas of content typically covered in this course.

1. Lecture Sessions

1. Introduction to Home Health Care Philosophy of Home Care
2. Basic human needs
• Discuss growth and development throughout one’s lifespan
• Discuss family dynamics
• Discuss how stress affects a family
3. Safe and clean environment
• Describe maintaining safety in the client’s home
• Discuss emergencies in the home
• Describe homemaking duties
4. Personal care
• Discuss providing personal care to a client in their home
• Discuss and identify important factors when providing personal care to an infant or a child
5. Elimination
• Discuss meeting elimination needs of the home health care client
• Discuss elimination factors concerning infants and children who are Home Health Care clients
6. Activity and exercise
• Discuss assisting the adult client with activity and exercise
• Describe appropriate activities for infants, toddlers or children
7. Caring for Home Health clients with special needs; death and dying
• Discuss common disorder/diseases of the Home Health Care Client
• Discuss the emotional response of a client with special needs
• Discuss providing care to a client with special needs
• Describe guidelines for assisting clients to self-administer medications
• Discuss providing care to a client who wishes to die at home
• Discuss assisting the Home Health Care Team to monitor therapies
• Identify Home Health Care Services available to clients and their families
8. Vital signs and measures
9. Foods and fluids
• Discuss measuring vital signs in the client’s home
• Discuss measuring an infant, toddler, child and adolescent’s vital signs in the home
• Discuss methods of providing oxygen to Home Care Clients
10. Communication orientation to work environment
• Discuss the Home Health Aide relationship with the client’s family
• Discuss methods of communicating with a Home Health Care Agency
• Discuss appropriate recording of the care given to a Home Health Care Client
• Orientation to the Health Care Facility site
• Shadowing experience