As healthcare shifts to homes, need for home health aides grows

Yes, James Guyton is tethered to an oxygen line half as long as his rowhouse on Olney Avenue. And yes, he's a little unsteady on his feet. But, nobody knows how to mop better than Guyton, 69, now suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. "He wants to outdo me in cleaning," said home health aide Antwanette Hill, 28, laughing. Hill visits Guyton every day to help him bathe and make sure he eats. Baby boomers, as they grow older and more infirm, will need more people like Hill - home health aides, and personal care aides - jobs that overlap, with the latter often doing more housekeeping.