There were 1.7 million Americans working home healthcare jobs in 2008. In fact, home healthcare jobs are on pace to grow by 50 percent between 2008 and 2018, which is much faster than the average occupation. This dramatic rise is related to the increasing number of aging baby boomers, and the rising trend of wanting to stay autonomous at home, rather than go to an institution for care. Inpatient care at hospitals and nursing homes is expensive and many patients require more than just medical care in their old age – such as household chores and errands running – done for them.

Home healthcare jobs involve helping the disabled, chronically ill, or cognitively impaired, so they can be stressful. Your job may involve light housekeeping like changing bed linens, laundry, grocery shopping and cooking. It may also entail helping a person bathe, get dressed, or groom.  You will often be responsible for ensuring your clients take their meds and make it to their doctor appointments. Home health aides typically work alongside supervising nurses. You may meet with a client every day, once a week, or every other week.

Home healthcare jobs typically receive on-the-job training from nurses, registered aides, or other healthcare professionals. Agencies that work with Medicare and Medicaid require their home health aides to complete a 75-hour training program, take an exam, perform 16 hours of supervised in-home work, and receive certification from the National Association for Home Care and Hospice. Personal care and home care aides do not need certification if they are just cleaning and changing bed sheets.

The median hourly wage for most home healthcare jobs range between $9 and $10 per hour. The lowest earners made less than $6.50, whereas the highest earners made more than $12. You can expect pay increases when responsibilities are added. Most home healthcare jobs workers are only paid for the time spent in a person’s home (not including travel time) and work on-call.