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’.