Description
Provide hands-on personal care and comfort to terminally ill patients in homes or inpatient hospice settings under the direction of a hospice nurse. Assist with daily living needs, monitor and report symptoms, support families, and perform comfort-focused tasks such as vital signs, intake/output tracking, basic equipment setup, and postmortem care per the care plan; may provide medication reminders per policy.
- • Observe and promptly report changes in pain, breathing, agitation, skin condition, or mental status.
- • Apply skin care, barrier creams, and simple nonsterile dressings as directed by the nurse.
- • Perform gentle range-of-motion exercises as tolerated for comfort.
- • Prepare light meals or serve food trays in home or facility settings.
- • Maintain a clean, safe patient environment; clean and sanitize patient care areas and equipment.
- • Restock personal care and medical supplies at the bedside or in the home.
- • Set up and maintain basic equipment such as hospital beds, bedside commodes, walkers, or oxygen per nurse direction.
- • Collect urine or stool specimens as ordered and deliver to authorized staff.
- • Provide catheter care and empty drainage bags as directed, without insertion or removal.
- • Provide companionship, emotional support, and a calming presence to patients.
- • Support family and caregivers, answering routine requests and reinforcing care instructions from the nurse.
- • Provide medication reminders and assist with organizing supplies per agency policy; do not administer unless permitted.
- • Respond promptly to patient or family requests for assistance.
- • Use proper body mechanics and lifting equipment; assist others to move patients safely.
- • Follow infection control and standard precautions, including hand hygiene and PPE.
- • Implement fall-prevention and home safety measures.
- • Document care provided and patient observations in the hospice record.
- • Communicate patient status and needs to the hospice nurse and interdisciplinary team.
- • Provide comfort measures such as warm or cold compresses, positioning pillows, or soothing baths.
- • Respect cultural, spiritual, and personal preferences during all care activities.
- • Provide postmortem care and support to family as directed by the hospice nurse.
- • Assist with toileting using commodes, urinals, or incontinence products.
- • Encourage energy conservation, rest, and pacing of activities per care plan.
- • Provide personal care, including bathing, dressing, grooming, and toileting, per hospice care plan.
- • Assist with safe transfers, ambulation, and positioning for comfort and skin protection.
- • Turn and reposition bedbound patients on schedule.
- • Perform mouth and denture care to relieve dryness and promote comfort.
- • Provide perineal and incontinence care; supply, collect, or empty bedpans and urinals.
- • Change linens and make occupied and unoccupied beds.
- • Assist with feeding and hydration, following diet textures and aspiration precautions.
- • Measure and record intake and output as directed.
- • Obtain and record vital signs, weight, and pain level per nurse instructions.
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O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
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This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
