In
health care
Health care, or healthcare, is the improvement or maintenance of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wikt:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physic ...
and
caregiving
A caregiver, carer or support worker is a paid or unpaid person who helps an individual with activities of daily living. Caregivers who are members of a care recipient's family or social network, who may have specific professional training, are o ...
, a companion, sitter, or private duty is a
job title
The International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) is a system developed by the International Labour Organization (ILO) to classify and organize occupations into a structured hierarchy. It serves to facilitate international communi ...
for someone hired to work with one patient (or occasionally two). Companions work in a variety of settings, including
nursing home
A nursing home is a facility for the residential care of older people, senior citizens, or disabled people. Nursing homes may also be referred to as care homes, skilled nursing facilities (SNF), or long-term care facilities. Often, these terms ...
s,
assisted living
An assisted living residence or assisted living facility (ALF) is a housing facility for people with disabilities or for adults who cannot or who choose not to live independently. The term is popular in the United States. Still, the setting i ...
facilities,
hospital
A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatment with specialized Medical Science, health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically ...
s, and private homes, and their duties range from advanced medical care to simple companionship and observation. They may be qualified, for example as a
nursing assistant.
Types of caregiving based on the location
Hospitals
In hospitals, sitters are hired by the hospital for patients who cannot remain unsupervised for even a short period of time. These include patients who are at risk for injury to themselves or others due to disorientation or combativeness, and those whose vital signs are severely unstable. Companions also work on psychiatric wards or in
mental institution
A psychiatric hospital, also known as a mental health hospital, a behavioral health hospital, or an asylum is a specialized medical facility that focuses on the treatment of severe mental disorders. These institutions cater to patients with ...
s, caring for patients who have been observed attempting suicide. This is known as
suicide watch or intense suicide observation.
Nursing homes
In a nursing home or assisted living facility, a companion or sitter is often hired by the resident or his/her family to provide personal care to the patient at a level that cannot be provided by the facility's nursing staff, in which each member is responsible for a much larger number of patients. These private duty nurses and aides may provide more immediate and detailed service, whereas facility staff can only reach the patient in turn and provide less frequent, rudimentary care. Companions in nursing homes also provide social companionship.
Nursing homes, like hospitals, sometimes hire sitters to watch patients who are at risk for injury to themselves or suicide.
Private homes
An aide providing care to one or more persons in a private home is generally referred to as a
home health aide.
Companions are sometimes hired to provide only chores within a household, such as basic-level cooking, cleaning, or in some cases, nothing more than supervision or social interaction without providing any hands-on care.
Companions are sometimes directly hired privately by clients or their families. In many cases, clients or their families obtain companion care services by utilizing the services of in-home care companies. Some in-home care companies act as the employer of the caregivers that they send out to clients' homes. Other in-home care companies take the approach that the caregivers are not employees of the companies, and instead may be independent contractors or employees of the clients, depending upon the degree of supervision and control exercised by the clients or their families over the caregivers' activities and tasks.
In the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, the laws regulating companion care in private homes vary from state to state. Some states, such as
Tennessee
Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...
, require home care companies. Others do not.
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
currently does not provide any licensing nor any consumer protection regulatory oversight over in-home care companies unless those companies are also licensed as "home health agencies" that are specifically licensed to provide skilled nursing care in patients' homes.
See also
*
Home health care
Homecare (home care, in-home care, care at home), also known as domiciliary care, personal care, community care, or social care, is health care or supportive care provided in the individual home where the patient or client is living, generally focu ...
*
Private duty nursing
*
Lady's companion
A lady's companion was a woman of genteel birth who lived with a woman of rank or wealth as Affinity (medieval), retainer. The term was in use in the United Kingdom from at least the 18th century to the mid-20th century but it is now archaism, arc ...
References
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Health care occupations