2.1.1: Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

We all need oxygen, food, water, sleep, and a safe shelter. We all also have psychosocial needs, which involve our social, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual needs. These needs may differ from one person to the next; but we all have them. When our needs go unmet, we may react in different ways. Some people become depressed, some anxious, some afraid, and some may even become angry and lash out at the people around them. When people become stressed, their physical health also is affected, and physical problems that could lead to illness may develop.

Without meeting basic human needs, a person cannot develop to their fullest potential. Home Health Aides/Personal Care Aides are in a unique position to help the people they work with. These individuals help them to meet their physical, emotional, mental, social, and spiritual needs so that patients can live to their fullest potential.

Abraham Maslow was a researcher of human behavior. He developed the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. This model shows us the importance of the physical and psychosocial needs of humans. The needs are arranged in a hierarchy, which means they are arranged in order of importance. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is arranged in what looks like a pyramid made up of five levels of needs. Maslow believed that people must meet the needs at the bottom of the hierarchy before they can successfully meet the next higher up need.

These needs include: Physical Needs, Safety and Security Needs, Need for Love and Belonging, Need for Self-esteem, and Need for Self-actualization. Let’s explore what each of these levels means and how Home Health Aides/Personal Care Aides can help their patients achieve their needs at each level of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.

Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. (FireflySixtySeven [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F...chyOfNeeds.svg)

Physical Needs

At the most basic levels of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs are our physical needs. These needs include oxygen, food, activity, sleep, and elimination. These are the basic needs humans must meet in order to survive. Maslow believed that these needs must be met first before a person can go on to meet other needs, such as their psychosocial needs. Home Health Aides/Personal Care Aides, work to help their patients meet their basic physical needs. They assist them in completing Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), such as eating, drinking, toileting, bathing, and grooming. Taking vital signs, shopping for and preparing food for their patient, and measuring intake and output are other important tasks that Home Health Aides/Personal Care Aides do to help patients meet their physical needs.

Safety and Security Needs

After meeting our basic physical needs, according to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs we must have our safety and security needs met. This includes having a safe place to live and to not feeling afraid within our homes, or of the people around us. Home Health Aides/Personal Care Aides work within the patient’s environment to make their home safe so that their patient feels safe. This means they will need to ensure that there are no hazards in the patient’s home such as clutter or loose rugs that could cause a patient to slip, trip, or fall. Checking to ensure safety and grab bars are secure to the wall and that non-slip tub mats and shower chairs are used ensures a safe environment for their patient. Keeping the patient’s home clean and free from dirt by completing tasks such as laundry, vacuuming, and cleaning, maintains a safe environment for their patient. Ensuring that their patients properly use assistive devices such as canes and walkers also ensures their safety. Helping patients to meet their safety needs also includes taking care to properly wash hands and to wear gloves as appropriate, in order to prevent the spread of infection. When people are sick or who may not be as independent as they used to often feel afraid. The job of a Home Health Aide/Personal Care Aide is to help them feel secure by reassuring them, being patient when they try to complete tasks on their own, and being competent (good) in the tasks they complete.

Need for Love and Belonging

Once people have met their physical and safety/security needs, the need for love and belonging is the next important level in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in order for us to grow and flourish as humans. This need includes feeling that we are loved and cared for. Humans need to feel important to other people and to feel that they are a part of something, such as a family or community.

For Home Health Aides/Personal Care Aides, the way they care for their patients demonstrates to them that they care for and about them. This means being patient, kind, compassionate, understanding, trustworthy and accepting the patient’s thoughts, feelings, and uniqueness, even if they do not agree with them.Home Health Aides/Personal Care Aides can ask patients to share their memories and stories with them to help the patient recognize the importance they have in others’ lives.Family is an important part of a patient’s life and helps them to meet their need for love and belonging. We all have different views of what “family” means to us. Individuals must be careful not to judge who a patient considers part of their family. Family means everyone the patient sees as part of their family. Include the patient’s family in their care if they wish for them to be involved.

Spirituality and religious practices may also be important parts of the patient’s life. Helping patients meet their spiritual and religious needs may help them to cope with an illness or disability. Remember that each of us has our own unique spiritual and religious views. It is important not to judge the beliefs of others and to allow the patient to practice what they believe. If a patient has particular dietary restrictions due to their religious belief, a Home Health Aide/Personal Care Aide must be sure to accommodate these. They must also allow their patient to have privacy to pray, practice religious rituals, and to have time for clergy visits. If asked, they may read aloud religious materials and sit with their patient as they pray. A person does not have to believe in their particular religion in order to be respectful and to support a patient’s beliefs.

Need for Self-esteem

The need for self-esteem is the next level in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Self–esteem involves valuing and respecting oneself. Self-esteem comes from within us, and from interactions and feedback from other people. When people become sick, injured, or disabled, their self-esteem may be affected. They may not see themselves the way they used to.They may have concerns about their appearance or physical disability. They may feel that others do not see them as a whole person. They may worry that others see them less than they used to be or what they could be due to limitations from their physical or mental disability. A Home Health Aide/Personal Care Aide can help patients to accept physical changes by demonstrating acceptance. This means they must watch their body language while caring for patients. There may be situations where a patient has an injury or wound which may be difficult to look at. It is important to remember that the patient is watching for a reaction. Showing that they are okay with the patient’s physical changes will tell the patient that they are accepted exactly the way they are.

It is important to treat each patient as a unique individual with talents and strengths. Sometimes, people forget that they still have value as a person when they are sick. Home Health Aides/Personal Care Aides should get to know their patients to find out who they are as a person. Understanding their patients will allow the Home Health Aides/Personal Care Aides to help the patients see how valued they are. Home Health Aides/Personal Care Aides can also help to increase a patient’s self-esteem by allowing them to be as independent as possible, providing encouragement when they are doing a task they have difficulty with, and giving praise when they are successful. Demonstrating that they value the patient’s feelings, values, and their beliefs also helps to increase a patient’s self-esteem.

Need for Self-actualization

The need for self–actualization is the highest level of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Self-actualization means that we try to be the best person that we can be and try to reach our full potential. We each have different views of what being our best person means and what reaching our full potential means. It is important to remember to respect a patient’s thoughts and goals. The goals that we each set often change throughout our lives and may change as a result of experiencing an injury, illness, or disability. As a Home Health Aide/Personal Care Aide, it is important to accept others the way they are. Home Health Aides/Personal Care Aides are also in a position to help their patients work to accept themselves and to set and work towards new goals.It is important to remember that what a HHA/PCA views as a good goal may be different from the goal the patient wants to set. Using good communication skills is important to help patients work towards realistic and achievable goals.

Example \(\PageIndex{1}\)

Match the HHA/PCA’s task to the appropriate level of Maslow’s Hierarchy

Task	Level of Maslow’s Hierarchy
1. Allow a patient time to pray before they eat if they want	a. Physical Needs
2. Assist with eating and dressing	b. Safety/security Needs
3. Help a patient to set and meet their goal of putting their shoes on independently	c. Love/Belonging Needs
4. Teach a patient to correctly use their walker	d. Self-esteem Needs
5, Giving praise to a patient when they can do a task such as put on their shoes, which they have not been able to do since injured	e. Self-actualization Needs

Solution

1). C

2). A

3). E

4). B

5). D

Feedback:

1. Allowing a patient time to pray before they eat helps a patient meet their Love/Belonging Needs. As humans, we all have a need to belong to a community and to feel connected to people and things outside of ourselves. Praying allows a patient to maintain a connection with their religious beliefs and community.

2. Assisting a patient with eating and dressing helps to meet basic physical needs of obtaining food and protecting their bodies with clothing. Helping patients complete ADLs is an important task of the HHA/PCA.

3. A HHA/PCA can assist a patient meet their goals by encouraging independence. Goals will vary by patient and change throughout our lives. They can be affected by illness and disability. Goals we set for ourselves can help us be the best we can be. This helps to ensure Self-actualization Needs.

4. Meeting a patient’s Safety/Security Needs is an important task of the HHA/PCA. Teaching a patient how to use ambulation devices (e.g. walkers and canes) helps to ensure their safety and reduce the risk of injury to the patient.

5. Providing praise and encouragement for completion of any task, no matter how small allows the HHA/PCA to help patients meet their Self-esteem Needs.