How to Become a Home Health Aide in Illinois (Requirements & Schools)

In Illinois, home health aides may have different titles, but they generally have to help folks who cannot take care of themselves, to lead a decent life.

If you want to enter this healthcare field, we prepared this guide to help you get started on this career, so read on!

Ideal Candidate

Not everyone who wants to work in a field is also a good candidate for that field.

As such, make sure you meet these requirements before going further with the process of becoming a home health aide in Illinois:

• Patient
• Respectful
• Reliable
• Physically strong
• Detail-oriented
• Accurate
• Strong communication skills

There are also other attributes many employers seek: 

• Driver’s license
• Knowledge of a second language
• Good with pets

Training and Certification in Illinois

In Illinois, there are more types of personnel that can offer home help services:

• Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs)
• Direct Support Persons (DSP)

These people can work for one of these types of agencies:

• Home health agencies
• Home services agencies

Regardless of your title and type of agency you’ll work for, you’ll have to undergo a minimum of 120 hours of training.

These can be completed in 120 days.

The schools below offer accredited courses for future home health aides.

Their programs last between 5 and 12 weeks.

Do know that depending on the position you want, home health aide, or home service workers, you’ll study different subjects.

For instance, even though home service workers also need to undergo training, the requirements are less strict.

A home health aide will be required when the client has wounds or a condition that can get worse under certain circumstances.

To be admitted in these training programs it is common to be expected to:

• Have a high school diploma or GED
• Be at least 18 years old, though in some cases 16 years old are also accepted
• Be healthy, and this will be proven with passing some tests
• Have a clear criminal background

Some of the topics will include:

• Body systems,
• Dementia care
• End-of-life care
• Taking vital signs

There are situations when further training will be needed, such as when changing the age group of the clients, or when the new client has some very specific needs.

Employment and Salary Information

Graduates of those training programs first seek employment with these top-rated agencies first:

• Progressive Home Health Care in Northbrook
• Lifecare Home Health Services in Northbrook
• Reliable Home Care Provider in Lincolnshire
• Prairieland Home Care in Spring Valley
• Presence Home Care in Elgin

Working in hospitals is also a possibility and this is where salaries are generally higher.

Depending on the needs of the client or the type of employer you have, your shifts will differ from the standard 9-to-5.

Some clients might need their aide to be a live-in person.

Most employers will require the candidates to appear in the Illinois Registry of Health Care Workers.

Large urban settings such as Chicago, Aurora, Joliet, Naperville, or Elgin, are also where the average income of a home health aide is higher.

Regional Salary in Illinois

Further Information

Home health aides will work under the supervision of a registered nurse or in some cases a therapist.

In Illinois, the Direct Support Person will generally be hired for folks with intellectual disabilities.

Their duties will include taking vital signs or handling seizures

The Certified Nurse Aides will perform basic nursing-related duties that can be encountered in cases with dementia or end of life situations.

HHA Schools by State