Primary contact: Direct care providers can play large role in patient’s life

It is easy to remember the prominent people in health care: the surgeon who removes the tumor; the nurse who provides the hospital care; the therapist who brings movement back to the body. But ask most patients about the people they established relationships with after an illness or accident, and you may be surprised to learn that it’s often a direct care provider who helped them through trying times.

“It is the nature of the business,” says Ryan Boulez, a New York attorney who specializes in setting up planned care for clients. “When someone has a direct connection with another person every day, whether that relationship lasts a few intense weeks, several months or in some cases, numerous years, that person is bound to be the most important spoke in the wheel. He or she becomes the person the patient relies most on.”

While patients choose their initial medical providers, Boulez says insurance companies, HMO structures and the scheduling of personnel often dictate which other health care professionals are involved in the process. “That’s why direct care people are so important,” he says.

Helping hands

Direct care is the process of providing assistance to individuals who need help with daily living skills, such as preparing meals, getting ready for the day, engaging in social or wellness activities or visiting doctors,

dentists, therapists and other healthrelated personnel. Direct caregivers also engage in activities aimed at building life skills, including job coaching, activity development and training in social interaction. While Boulez says some of the tasks seem mundane, the responsibilities are often enormous.

Taking it personally

“Families try to find direct care providers who have a similar temperament to their own,” says Nicole Black, a retired nurse in Rockford who does part-time work as a visiting nurse. “I spend about four hours a week with five different patients these days and each family has made it a point to tell me about the personalities of their parents. I listen, tell them I’ve seen it all, and then assure them I have every intention of taking care of their mom or dad as peacefully as possible, for their sake and for mine.”

Still, Boulez says to not underestimate personality. “I tell my clients to write out the type of care they’d like if they become unable to speak for themselves and nearly all of them write something like “a nice person,” he says. “That counts for something.”

Black agrees. “It’s one of the primary rules of direct care,” she says. “You have to be nice. Even if you’re hired to do a specific job, you still need to have a good disposition with your patient.”

Careers in direct care: -Developmental aide

-Home health aide

-Personal care aide -Residence program specialist -Job coach

-Employment specialist -Rehabilitation counselor

-Day habilitation provider -Outreach specialist -Community program specialist

Job growth: Personal care aides and home health aides are projected to increase by approximately 34 percent

by 2029.