There are an estimated 5 million caregivers in California who provide essential long-term care to a family member or other care recipient in their community. Many caregivers are providing in-home assistance to an older adult or person with disabilities, without any prior training in caregiving skills. Additionally, they lack support to help them relieve the stress of a taxing job that involves long hours.
In the News: Spectrum News 1 SoCal TV Highlights the Importance of Caregiver Training
On November 28, 2025, Spectrum News 1 SoCal TV reporter Jo Kwon highlighted the need for more caregiver training as our population ages. Kwon chose to draw attention to this issue in November, which is National Family Caregivers Month. She featured the Center for Caregiver Advancement (CCA) as a provider of free online training for caregivers in California.
Kwon took an interest in sharing the story of Cindy Haro, an In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) caregiver who provides in-home care for her mother, Jenny, who has dementia. Kwon visited Cindy and Jenny at their home to see first-hand how Cindy uses the skills she learned in her CCA course to assist Jenny with her daily living tasks.
Understanding the Caregiving Landscape
Kwon also interviewed CCA President and CEO Corinne Eldridge about the shortage of caregivers in California and why training is critical for long-term care workers. Eldridge provided an overview of the caregiving landscape, where many care workers are critical to providing assistance to aging adults and people with disabilities, yet formal training is not mandatory or easy to access. CCA is committed to providing a solution by offering free, high-quality skills training that can be accessed in multiple languages.
Watch the Spectrum News 1 Video:
Cindy’s story on Spectrum News 1 SoCal TV brings attention to the many caregivers in the Los Angeles area who would benefit from free training, but may not know that it is available through CCA.
Caregiving Training Is a Game-Changer for Exhausted Caregivers
Cindy hopes that by sharing her story on Spectrum News, other families who provide caregiving for a loved one will learn how CCA’s free training can help them manage the burden. Caregiving is a challenging job, but Cindy has learned that training provides benefits for both the caregiver and the care consumer.
“Even though I’m grateful that I can take care of my mother at home to help her stay healthy and independent as she manages dementia and other health issues, caregiving can be a lonely job with no one to talk to,” says Cindy. “My feelings of stress and loneliness finally improved when I found CCA and started taking their caregiving classes.”
How the Center for Caregiver Advancement Helps Caregivers
The Center for Caregiver Advancement is a non-profit organization that is California’s most experienced provider of free, accessible training. CCA focuses on creating a supportive, experience-based learning environment with a curriculum that is built around person-centered care.
CCA offers skill-building courses to In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) caregivers, helping them build professional skills in essential caregiving, as well as special conditions like Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias (ADRD), self-care and stress relief, CPR, and Emergency & Disaster Readiness (EDR), among others.
Many of the CCA courses are offered online through Zoom. The online format enables caregivers to fit training into their busy schedules. After students graduate from these 6-10-week caregiver training courses, CCA often shares their stories to illustrate the positive impact that training has on them. Research shows that the training improves their job satisfaction, confidence, and enables them to provide a higher level of care when applying their new skills.
Practical Caregiving Skills Include Self-Care for Caregivers
“In my CCA course, I learned how to move my mother safely with correct body mechanics, how to bathe her, improve her nutrition, and how to manage my time,” says Cindy. “I even learned how to take better care of myself. In fact, the self-care class was the most valuable one for me, because I was really struggling before.”
Cindy reports that her teacher at CCA noticed her stress and took the time to walk her through stress-management tools. She gave her the guidance she needed to minimize her stress, manage her own health, and recharge her energy.
For the full story, visit Jo Kwon’s news report page online at Spectrum News 1 SoCal TV.
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