---
title: "What Is Home health aide? Home Care Glossary | HomeCare.com"
description: "A home health aide (HHA) helps people at home with personal care, such as bathing, dressing, and moving around, and may help with simple health tasks under..."
url: https://homecare.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/home-health-aide/
publisher: HomeCare.com
phone: 800-974-3458
start: https://care.homecare.com/?source=homecare.com
---

Caregivers and credentials

# Home health aide (HHA)

A home health aide (HHA) helps people at home with personal care, such as bathing, dressing, and moving around, and may help with simple health tasks under a nurse's direction. Medicare covers part-time aide care only when a person also receives skilled nursing or therapy from a Medicare-certified agency.

## Why it matters for your family

Families often hear HHA used for any home caregiver, but the term has a specific meaning in Medicare. A Medicare home health aide works for a certified home health agency, under a care plan, and only while skilled care is also in place. Medicare does not cover aide care when it is the only care needed. A common mistake is expecting an HHA to stay for long hours. Medicare covers part-time or intermittent care only. Training and title rules vary by state. Ask what training an aide has and who supervises the work.

Source: [medicare.gov](https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/home-health-services)

[Read more: Caregiver jobs](https://homecare.preview.multisites.ai/caregivers/)

## Related terms

-   [**Certified nursing assistant (CNA)**A certified nursing assistant (CNA) is a trained worker who gives basic care, such as bathing, dressing, toileting, moving patients, and taking vital signs, under the supervision of a nurse.](https://homecare.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/certified-nursing-assistant/)
-   [**Personal care aide (PCA)**A personal care aide (PCA) is a non-medical caregiver who helps with daily tasks, such as bathing, dressing, meals, housekeeping, and errands, and often provides company.](https://homecare.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/personal-care-aide/)
-   [**Home health care**Home health care is medical care given at home for an illness or injury, such as skilled nursing and therapy.](https://homecare.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/home-health-care/)
-   [**Medicare home health benefit**The Medicare home health benefit pays for part-time or intermittent skilled care at home.](https://homecare.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/medicare-home-health-benefit/)
-   [**Homebound status**Homebound status is a Medicare rule for the home health benefit.](https://homecare.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/homebound-status/)
-   [**Home care agency**A home care agency is a company that employs or contracts caregivers and sends them to clients' homes.](https://homecare.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/home-care-agency/)

[All glossary terms](https://homecare.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/)

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![A caregiver and an older woman sharing a laugh at home](https://homecare.preview.multisites.ai/_astro/companionship.Cj0N08Ks_1FwPmX.webp)