The titles
What each title means and what is usually required
Caregiver or companion
Non-medical help: company, meals, errands, reminders and light personal care, usually in someone’s home or in a care home. Employers use the title loosely, so read each listing for the exact duties. A background check is common. Some settings also need state registration (see Home Care Aide).
Home Care Aide (HCA)
Non-medical help in someone’s home, working for a licensed Home Care Organization. You register with the state’s Home Care Aide Registry and pass a background check. The CDSS Home Care Services Branch, linked below, has the details.
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) or Certified Home Health Aide (CHHA)
Hands-on personal and basic nursing care under a nurse’s supervision, in a nursing facility, a hospital or someone’s home. Both titles start with "Certified". The listing should name the certificate it requires and the agency that issues it. Confirm the current requirements with that agency before you apply.
Hospice aide
Personal care for people on hospice, as part of a hospice team, usually in the person’s home or a care home. Employers usually ask for a CNA or CHHA certificate. The listing should say which, and how much travel to expect.
Safer job search
A request for money is a warning sign
Be careful when a supposed employer asks for gift cards, cryptocurrency, a deposit, your bank details or payment for equipment before you start. Check that the employer’s email address and website match, and apply through the employer’s own page, the one shown on the listing.
Where the work happens
The same title can mean different work in different settings
A listing should say whether the work is in someone’s home, on a hospice or home-health team, or in a residential-care or senior-living building. Compare who supervises you, how much travel there is, the shift pattern, the daily duties and who you will care for.
Official sources
Where to confirm the requirements
Reading a listing
Questions a good listing answers
- Who wrote the job description, and does the link open the employer’s own current posting?
- Who employs and supervises the role?
- Where is the work, and how much travel is expected?
- What is the pay range, and is it hourly, per visit or a salary?
- Which schedule, shifts and employment type apply?
- Which qualifications are required on day one?
- Where does the employer collect the application?