Start main content

Personal Care Workers

Descriptions & Duties

  • Personal Care Workers provide direct personal care and assistance with activities of daily living to elderly and disabled people at the customers' home or in a care facility. They are responsible for helping customers with personal and household hygiene, preparing meals, providing health care services, directing customers in simple prescribed exercises. They may need to accompany the customers to clinics when necessary.

Generic Competencies

Physical Abilities

Physical abilities

  • Physical strength
  • Eye hand coordination / precision / dexterity

 

Importance:3 (Max:5) 

Skill is basically required

 

Technology Skills

Technology skills

  • Computer literacy
  • Application of technology

 

Importance:1 (Max:5) 

Skill is rarely required

 

Cognitive Abilities

Cognitive abilities

  • Creativity
  • Visualisation
  • Logical thinking

 

Importance:2 (Max:5) 

Skill is occasionally required

 

Comprehension And Expression

Comprehension and expression skills

  • Reading comprehension
  • Oral / written expression

 

Importance:1 (Max:5) 

Skill is rarely required

 

Social Skills

Social skills

  • Communication
  • Negotiation
  • Persuasion

 

Importance:4 (Max:5) 

Skill is frequently required

 

Organisation And Execution Skills

Organisation and execution skills

  • Planning
  • Organising
  • Judgement
  • Decision making

 

Importance:2 (Max:5) 

Skill is occasionally required

 

Problem Solving Skills

Problem solving skills

  • Ability to solve simple and complex problems effectively and efficiently

 

Importance:3 (Max:5) 

Skill is basically required

 

Management Skills

Management skills

  • Leadership
  • Management of finance / time / people / other resources

 

Importance:1 (Max:5) 

Skill is rarely required

 

Trade Specific Competencies

Personal care knowledge and skills

Personal Care Workers must know personal care techniques, such as feeding, lifting, changing diapers, and showering, to ensure that their customers are properly cared for.

General Requirements

Academic qualification

  • typically have primary or above education level, ; for the post of Health Workers, usually have secondary 5 or above education level

Professional qualification

  • complete training courses on elderly care or health services; for the post of Health Workers, with completion of approved health worker training course, and must be registered health workers

Career Path & Salary

Private Sector

Monthly Salary $10,000-$20,000

Monthly Salary $20,000-$40,000

Monthly Salary $20,000-$50,000

Related Education & Training

Work Environment

  • Personal Care Workers generally work at the customers' home or in a care facility. They work shifts, often including early morning, late evenings, weekends, and holidays. They perform physically demanding tasks such as lifting and turning customers. They may work full time or part time.

Tools

  • Alarm systems
  • Bathtub seats; Shower chairs
  • Canes
  • Crutches
  • Electronic blood pressure units
  • Foot boards
  • Glucometers
  • Hearing aid devices
  • Home care ventilators
  • Lower-body prosthetic devices
  • Medical heat lamps or accessories
  • Patient lifting devices
  • Specimen collection containers
  • Therapeutic elastic stockings
  • Therapeutic ice pack or pillow
  • Upper-body prosthetic devices
  • Urinalysis test strips
  • Wheelchairs

Related Occupations