Alabama Administrative Code
Title 420 - ALABAMA STATE BOARD OF HEALTH
Chapter 420-5-17 - HOSPICES
Section 420-5-17-.13 - Personal Care Services

(1) Each hospice care program shall provide personal care services in the scope and frequency required to meet the needs of its patients and their families. Personal care services include assistance with activities of daily living, personal care, ambulation and exercise, household services essential to health care at home, assistance with self-administration of medications, and preparation of meals.

(2) Personal care services shall be provided by individuals who have been selected on the basis of such factors as a caring attitude toward patients and their families, ability to read, write, and carry out instructions, and maturity and ability to cope with the demands of the job.

(3) The hospice care program shall ensure that those individuals providing personal care services have been trained in methods of assisting patients to achieve maximum self-reliance, principles of nutrition and meal preparation, the aging process and emotional problems of illness, procedures for maintaining a clean, healthful, and pleasant environment, changes in a patient's condition that should be reported, the philosophy of hospice care and of the hospice care program, ethics, confidentiality, and record keeping.

(4) A registered nurse shall prepare for each aide written instructions for patient care which are consistent with the interdisciplinary plan of care.

(5) A registered nurse shall make and document a supervisory visit to the patient's residence at least every two weeks to assess the performance of the aide services.

Author: Jimmy D. Prince