For the health and safety of a client, complete all of the tasks assigned to you. 

Basic Job Responsibilities of an LTC Worker

Below are some of the basic job responsibilities you will have as a LTC worker.

• Understand a client’s care needs and perform your assigned tasks correctly and efficiently as documented in the client’s care plan or negotiated service agreement. 
• Know how and when a client prefers to have these tasks completed.  Respect and follow the client’s choices.
• Observe the client for change(s) in health and well-being.
• Document and report any changes you see using the policies and procedures outlined in this orientation.
• Respond to emergencies appropriately.
• Come to work on time, call your supervisor if you can’t make a shift, and dress appropriately. If you do not understand what it means to dress appropriately, ask your supervisor.
• Complete and keep accurate time sheets.
• Give two weeks’ written notice if you will be quitting your job.

Job performance

How well you do your job impacts a client’s life every day.  Do your job well, and clients continue to live with dignity and independence. Do your job poorly and you risk causing physical harm, distress, anxiety, and/or embarrassment to the clients you are being paid to provide care and support.  

Do your best and take pride in your work.  When you are at work, focus on your job.  Learn how to do your assigned tasks correctly and efficiently.  Know what to do and what to avoid.  Be honest, clear, and professional in your dealings with clients and other care team members.

In addition, your employer has other expectations of you as a worker. 

Start your job with a solid understanding of what is expected of you.

Understanding Your Job Duties

You need to understand how and when to do each of your assigned tasks. You will get this information from the client’s care plan, other care team members, and most importantly the client.

Care Plans

Each client has a written care plan.  A care plan is a document developed after a thorough assessment (evaluation) was completed for that client. 

The assessment results in a clear understanding of what services and support the client needs and how and when he or she would like these services completed.  These tasks and client preferences are documented in the care plan. 

A written care plan helps ensure the client receives consistent, quality care that meets his or her needs.  A client’s care plan changes as his or her care needs change.

In an assisted living facility or adult family home, the care plan you will see is called the negotiated service agreement or plan. 

What part of the client’s care plan you will see depends on where you work.  Some LTC workers will have access to and read the entire care plan.  Others will get a task list.  If you are allowed, read through the care plan for each of the clients you are assigned to.  

You are always responsible for following the client’s care plan. 

The information in the care plan is confidential and sensitive.  Respect the client’s need and right to have everything you read or hear kept private.  Your professionalism goes a long way in reducing a client’s uneasiness or embarrassment by having such personal information available to others. 

Getting the Information You Need

Respect a client’s preferences by making sure you get the information you need to honor them. You and the client need to:

• Know what you are expected to do.
• Understand the limits of your work.
• Feel like part of the same team.
• Avoid misunderstandings later by discussing the care tasks carefully when you first begin.

Even with information from a care plan and other care team members, you still need to talk directly with a client and ask them about his or her preferences.

Asking good questions is an art.  The way you ask questions of a client gets you more of the information you need.

Ask questions specific to the task. 

For example: “Do you prefer a bath or shower this morning?”

Ask questions that are open-ended rather than questions that can be answered “yes” or “no”. 

For example, asking: “What would you like for breakfast?” will get you better information than asking “Do you want breakfast now?”

Ask questions that start with what, when, where, why, and how. 

For example, the care plan says you are to help with bathing.   Ask questions like: “How hot do you like your bath water?” “What type of soap works well for you?”

Asking good questions helps you get the information you need to do your job correctly.

Establish a Routine

When you begin a new assignment, agree with a client on a routine and stick with it.

A routine (or schedule) helps you to finish all your tasks. A routine means you and a client will know what to expect each shift.

Routines help you and a client.

Asking Again Helps You Make sure you understand a client’s routine. Assist with tasks in the way that works best for a client. Learn more about a client’s preferences. Get feedback on how you are doing. Ask Again to Know You Have Done Your Job Well   

Ask Again

After working for a client for a while, it is good practice to talk with him or her again about tasks in the care plan. Is there anything he or she would like to be done differently? 

By asking again, you can ensure you understand a client’s routine and keep doing the tasks the way that works best for him or her.