"home attendant"

[PL]

Hello to all linguists and language lovers. Can you
help me define the words below?

What does a "home attendant" do exactly? Is it usually
a live-in professional?

Does s/he take care of a person also from a medical
point of view? What term would you more commonly use
to refer to a person who keeps an elderly person
company, goes out with him/her for a daily walk, helps
with a few chores, etc.

Is "home help / -er" used at all in the US? Is it
synonymous with "home attendant"? What duties are
involved in this type of job?

Best,

Pete

__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
New Yahoo! Photos - easier uploading and sharing.
http://photos.yahoo.com/