What tasks will I do for clients as a home health aide?
As a home health aide, you help clients with daily personal tasks such as bathing or dressing, and you watch for changes in their condition. O*NET also lists planning and preparing meals according to a prescribed diet, and helping clients move safely in and out of beds or chairs, among the common duties.
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Personal care and daily living
The Bureau of Labor Statistics describes home health and personal care aides as monitoring the condition of people with disabilities or chronic illness and helping with activities of daily living, including assisting clients with daily personal tasks such as bathing or dressing. O*NET adds detail, listing help moving in and out of beds, baths, wheelchairs, or cars, along with assistance with dressing and grooming, as regular tasks.
Following the plan of care
Everything an aide does has to line up with the plan of care, since federal rule requires a home health aide's services to be ordered by a physician or allowed practitioner, included in that plan, allowed under state law, and consistent with the aide's own training.
- Help with bathing, dressing, and grooming
- Plan, prepare, or serve meals under a prescribed diet
- Assist with moving safely between bed, chair, and bathroom
- Watch for and report any change in a client's condition
More questions
Where do most home health aides do this work?
BLS says most home health and personal care aides work in clients' homes, while others work in group homes or care communities.
Do aides decide what tasks a client needs on their own?
No, federal rule ties an aide's tasks to a plan of care ordered by a physician or allowed practitioner, not to the aide's own judgment alone.
Sources
- 31-1121.00 - Home Health Aides, O*NET OnLine (U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration)
- Home Health and Personal Care Aides : Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- § 484.80 Condition of participation: Home health aide services., Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Checked against these sources on November 6, 2026. Rules change, so confirm with the source before you rely on a detail. This page is general information, not legal advice.