Personal Care Aides with the Area Agency on Aging of Northwest Arkansas help older adults who may need assistance, who are disabled, chronically ill, or cognitively impaired. They help with activities such as bathing and dresssing, and they provide services such as light housekeeping.

Personal care aides typically do the following:

• Help clients in their daily personal tasks, such as bathing or dressing
• Do light housekeeping, such as laundry, washing dishes, and vacuuming in a client's home
• Organize a client's schedule and plan appointments
• Arrange transportation to doctors'offices or for other kinds of outings
• Shop for groceries and prepare meals
• Provide companionship

Aides often keep track of when a client's prescriptions need to be filled or when the client has his or her next doctor's appointment. Aides may prepare leisure activities, including exercise, to keep their clients active and healthy. They may go for walks with their clients or play games with them. Aides may be expected to complete unpleasant tasks such as emptying a client's bedpan or changing soiled bed linens.

Trained personal care aides, under the supervision of a registered nurse, provide these services that may be funded through programs for low-income seniors, veterans, long-term care insurance or on a fee-for-service basis.

Personal care aides do not provide any type of medical service.