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Personal Care Assistants
Personal Care Assistants are unregulated health care providers who work under the direction of nurses to assist patients with activities of daily living (ADLs). PCAs provide essential service to patients and support to clinical nurses by assisting with:
feeding
bathing
dressing
toileting
ambulation
This brings the PCAs in intimate contact with patients and the health care relationship is developed in the respect of caring for people when they are the most vulnerable. PCAs spend a great deal of time with patients and often develop very close relationships with patients and their families. It is not unusual for patients to feel comfortable discussing matters with them that they may not feel comfortable raising with other members of the team.
PCAs are the eyes and ears of nurses in the daily activities of patients.
PCAs are an integral part of the patients’ stay in hospital and the inpatient team.