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Assistance with an Individual's Activities of Daily Living
When persons, because of advanced age, illness, injury, disease, limited cognitive abilities, or other limitations, need assistance with their Activities of Daily Living (ADL's) they are termed as needing "non-medical home care services." Non-Medical home care services are often referred to as "custodial" or "non-skilled services."
These services are different than those provided by skilled nursing services or agencies. Skilled nursing services are provided by Home Health Care Agencies and in Arizona are licensed and certified by the Arizona Department of Health Services. 
Skilled nursing services must be performed by a licensed RN or LPN and include such services as wound care, administering of medications, injections, IV therapy, ostomey care, catheterization, etc. Home Health Care Agencies provide skilled services which include nursing care, physical, occupational, speech and respiratory therapy, as well as social services and often hospice care. These skilled services are provided under a plan of treatment order by a physician.
Caregiver Employees of the Business Members of this Association do not provide the "skilled services" that are provided by Home Health Care Agencies.
 Non-Medical Home Care Business Providers assist individuals with their Activities of Daily Living (ADL's) and a physician's order is not needed to have non-medical home care services. ADL's are routine activities that most people take for granted and that people tend do everyday without needing assistance. There are six basic ADL's: eating, bathing, dressing, toileting, transferring (walking) and continence. When people are unable to perform these activities, they need help in order to cope, either from Caregivers or mechanical devices or both.
Not only do Caregivers provide specific assistance with certain ADL's for their clients, they also provide companionship and a sense of security by just having a Caregiver on duty with a client.
Some of the specific areas Non-Medical Home Care Business Providers assist their clients are assistance with:
Ambulation, walking, using a walker, repositioning in a bed, or using a wheel chair
Transferring to and from bed to commode, from bed to chair or wheelchair, or a vehicle
Personal hygiene care
Continence of bowel and/or bladder issues and products
Using the commode
Bathing in bathtub, showering, or bed bath
Shampooing, rinsing, and drying of the hair
Shaving, both electric and manual
Oral hygiene, including brushing teeth and denture care
Dressing and undressing
Companionship
Meal and snack preparation according to the clients dietary requirements, serving, and cleanup
Laundry, including washing, drying, folding and putting the clothes away
Transportation for grocery shopping, Doctors appointments, and other errands
Light housekeeping, such as making the bed and changing bedding, cleaning the bathrooms, the client's bedroom, the kitchen, etc.
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