Home health aide · St. Louis
Home health aide services
A home health aide provides hands-on personal care — bathing, dressing, grooming, mobility help — as part of the physician-ordered plan of care, under the supervision of a registered nurse.
This is the service most often confused with our CDS attendants, and the difference is worth understanding before you choose. See the comparison below.
What does a home health aide do?
- Bathing, showering and personal hygiene
- Dressing and grooming
- Toileting and incontinence care
- Help with transfers and safe movement
- Assistance with a prescribed exercise program
- Observing and reporting changes to the nurse
What is the difference between a home health aide and a CDS attendant?
| Home health aide | CDS attendant | |
|---|---|---|
| Who employs them | The agency | You do — we are the fiscal agent |
| Who chooses the person | The agency assigns | You choose, including a relative |
| Supervised by | A registered nurse | You |
| Requires a physician order | Yes | No |
| Duration | Time-limited, tied to the skilled episode | Ongoing, as long as you remain eligible |
| Typical intensity | Short visits, a few times a week | Set by your authorized care plan, often daily |
| Paid by | MO HealthNet, insurance, private pay | MO HealthNet |
The short version: an aide comes because you are receiving skilled care, and stops when that episode ends. A CDS attendant is your own long-term arrangement, and you are the employer. Full comparison →
What can a home health aide not do?
- Skilled nursing tasks — those require a nurse.
- Administering medication, beyond what their scope and the plan allow.
- Anything outside the plan of care.
- Care for other members of the household.
How long does a home health aide visit last?
This is the most common disappointment in home health, and it is worth hearing before care starts rather than after. A home health aide visits for a defined period — often under an hour, a few times a week — because the aide service exists to support the skilled plan of care, not to provide daily living assistance in its own right.
Families frequently expect something closer to a companion or a daily caregiver, and are surprised when the aide leaves after helping with a shower. That is not the agency cutting corners; it is what the benefit is. If what you need is someone present for hours every day, home health aide service will not deliver it however well it is run.
For MO HealthNet participants, that longer daily help is exactly what Consumer Directed Services provides — and the attendant can be someone you already know. The two are frequently used together. See the CDS program →
Who supervises a home health aide?
A registered nurse supervises the aide’s work and makes periodic visits to check that care is being delivered as the plan requires. That supervision is a requirement of the benefit, not an optional extra.
Practically, it means someone clinical is regularly laying eyes on your care — which catches problems an aide might not recognize, from a developing pressure sore to a change in your condition. It also means there is a defined person to raise concerns with if something about the aide’s work is not right.
Who provides the care
Communicare Elite coordinates the whole plan. Some visits are delivered by our own staff; others are arranged through partner providers we work with regularly. Either way one agency is accountable for the plan of care, and you have one number to call rather than four.
Need skilled care at home?
Call us, or text us. Home health starts with an order from your physician — we can talk you through how to get one.
Frequently asked questions
What qualifies you to get a home health aide?
A home health aide comes because you are already receiving skilled care. The aide is part of a physician-ordered plan of care, works under a registered nurse, and stops when that skilled episode ends. If what you need is daily help with bathing and dressing without a skilled need, the aide benefit is not built for it, and Consumer Directed Services may fit better.
Can a home health aide stay with me all day?
No. Aide visits are short, often under an hour a few times a week, because the service supports the skilled plan of care rather than providing daily living help on its own. If you need someone present for hours every day, a home health aide will not deliver that, however well the agency runs. For MO HealthNet participants, Consumer Directed Services covers that longer daily help.
Can a family member be paid to care for me instead of an aide?
Not as a home health aide, because the agency assigns the aide. Under Consumer Directed Services it can be. You choose your own attendant, including a relative or someone you already know, and you are the employer while we act as the fiscal agent. CDS is paid by MO HealthNet, and the two services are often used together.
Who pays for a home health aide?
Home health aide visits are paid by MO HealthNet, private insurance or private pay, as part of the skilled plan of care your physician orders. A CDS attendant is paid by MO HealthNet. Call us before care starts and we will explain which route fits your coverage and what you actually need at home.