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Can a Home Care Aide Do Errand Running?
Date Updated: December 9, 2024
Written by:
Sarah has produced thousands of articles in diverse niches over her decade-long career as a full-time freelance writer. This includes substantial content in the fields of senior care and health care. She has experience writing about wide-ranging topics, such as types of care, care costs, funding options, state Medicaid programs and senior resources.
Reviewed by:
Dr. Brindusa Vanta is a health care professional, researcher, and an experienced medical writer (2000+ articles published online and several medical ebooks). She received her MD degree from “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine, Romania, and her HD diploma from OCHM – Toronto, Canada.
Yes, a home care aide can do errand running if this service falls within an individual’s care plan. In-home care agencies craft personalized service plans that account for recipients’ needs and preferences; services may include running errands. However, agencies offer varying services, so seniors should ensure a provider can meet their requirements.
Types of Errands Home Care Aides Perform
Sometimes, caregivers accompany seniors to complete essential tasks outside the home, providing support, company and, in some cases, transportation. Other times, aides run errands alone on behalf of their home care clients. Individual service plans detail what jobs an aide will perform, with in-depth information about the frequency and nature of tasks. Many undertakings class as instrumental activities of daily living — tasks essential for a person to live independently within society.
Examples of common errands in-home care aides perform include:
- Shopping for groceries and household essentials
- Filling prescriptions and collecting medications
- Accompanying seniors to appointments
- Sending letters and parcels
- Paying bills in-person
- Collecting laundry and dry cleaning from external service providers
- Returning library books
Costs Associated with Running Errands
Home care fees typically cover an aide’s time and labor for running errands per their client’s service agreement. Rates also usually incorporate transportation costs, such as paying for the aide’s gas or bus fare.
However, seniors must pay any other associated sums, such as for their groceries, cleaning products or toiletries, when a caregiver goes shopping on their behalf. Seniors must also provide the money for bill payments, post office charges, library fines and similar fees.
Other Services Home Care Aides Provide
Home care assistants help seniors with chores around the house, such as cleaning, washing dishes, doing laundry and changing sheets. Care plans may also include light yard work and maintenance. Many home care recipients require practical assistance with personal daily living activities. For example, caregivers help seniors shower, brush their teeth and dress. Depending on service plans, aides assist with grooming tasks, such as trimming facial hair and nails.
In-home caregivers commonly prepare basic meals and snacks, and services may extend to hands-on help with eating. Other examples include assistance transferring between the bed and chair or mobility device and moving safely from room to room. Some care plans also include companionship hours for those at risk of social isolation, which harms health and increases dementia likelihood. Crucially, home care aides can’t perform medical duties; older adults requiring in-home nursing or therapies should consider home health care instead.