According to an article in Modern Healthcare by Maria Castellucci, home caregivers spend more time with care recipients than others, so they are the ones in critical need of training. However, Castellucci reports that home-care providers usually receive very little formal training before they are approved by the state or federal government to provide care to people with long-term conditions or complex diseases.
Home Caregivers Can Be Trained in Skills That Improve Safety & Wellness
The demand for home care is growing rapidly as the U.S. population of people aged 65 and older increases. Many older adults seek care in a home setting. Home care providers are typically laypeople with no healthcare background. Yet, training in professional caregiving skills is essential to ensure complex patients are well cared for. Additionally, skilled care at home can help people avoid unnecessary readmissions to hospital, according to John Baackes, former CEO of the L.A. Care Health Plan, a Medicaid insurer.
Since 2017, L.A. Care has invested in training for the In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) providers who care for plan members. California already pays IHSS providers caring for Medicaid beneficiaries between $13 and $14.75 an hour depending on the county. However, writer Castellucci reports that training for IHSS providers isn’t required.
A 10-Week Home Caregiver Training Program That Makes a Difference
The L.A. Care IHSS+ 10-week training program, which is provided by the Center for Caregiver Advancement (formerly the California Long-Term Care Education Center), allows Medicaid members to select their own IHSS providers. For this reason, their IHSS care provider is often a family member with minimal healthcare knowledge.
L.A. Care’s training program provides healthcare knowledge that has proved to be effective. Plan members receiving care from trained IHSS home caregivers experienced health improvements. Twenty months after graduation, L.A. Care members with IHSS care providers who completed the training saw:
- 42% decline in ER visits
- 60% decline in hospitalizations
For IHSS provider Sandra Owens Taylor, the caregiver training has improved her confidence on the job. A home-care provider for more than 20 years, she said it was helpful to be refreshed on core skills and to learn new topics. For instance, she didn’t know L.A. Care would pay for handrail installation and personal protective equipment. ‘My understanding has been heightened,’ she said.
The curriculum is taught in six languages in classes that are offered once weekly over 10 weeks, covering caregiving essentials such as infection control, nutrition, home safety, and CPR, among other skills.
This content is curated from an article that first appeared online in an August 2020 edition of Modern Healthcare. To read the original article, please visit:
“Investments in Training Home-Care Providers Paying Off.” Modernhealthcare.com, 22 Aug. 2020, www.modernhealthcare.com/care-delivery/investments-training-home-care-providers-paying/.
Photo Credit: L.A. Care Health Plan
Related Reading:
https://advancecaregivers.org/l-a-care-ihss-training-program/
