Personal support workers (PSWs, sometimes known as Personal Care Workers, Personal Care Attendants, or Personal Care Assistants), provide hands-on care and support to residents with personal care tasks, such as:
- bathing
- dressing
- grooming, and;
- toileting.
Aside from personal care, PSW work can involve:
- helping residents with mobility (getting in and out of beds or chairs, or moving around the residence with mobility aids)
- assistance at mealtimes (serving meals, cutting food into smaller portions, feeding those unable to feed themselves, adding thickener to fluids for those who have issues swallowing liquids)
- making beds and tidying up residents’ rooms where appropriate
- attending social activities with residents
- organising appointments
- making sure residents have enough personal supplies (and notifying RNs or families if needed)
- administering medication (for PSWs with the relevant training and qualifications)
- observing, monitoring, reporting, and documenting changes in residents’ wellbeing
- providing emotional support and companionship to residents, as well as listening to concerns and offering reassurance,
- liaising with families and offering them support too where appropriate.
More information
- Read more about our team members and upcoming recruitment events at People of Arcare.
- See work opportunities available for Personal Support Workers at Careers at Arcare.
- Find out more about what we do in aged care.
- Find out about other aged care job roles in ‘Who Works in Aged Care’.