On August 27, 2025, the Center for Caregiver Advancement’s President & CEO, Corinne Eldridge, joined podcast host and Futuro Health CEO Van Ton-Quinlivan on the latest episode of the podcast “Workforce Rx” to discuss why home caregivers need training in caregiving skills. Many caregivers come to the role as a result of life circumstances, with no prior experience and no formal training.
“Caregivers come to this work because they have a big heart, but having a big heart doesn’t mean that they are prepared to do what is both a mentally and a physically taxing job,” says Corinne Eldridge, president and chief executive officer of CCA.
Why do caregivers need formal caregiver training?
As Eldridge explains it, giving caregivers access to free caregiver training is where CCA’s programs really help. For the past 25 years, CCA training programs have upskilled thousands of in-home caregivers in California. CCA courses cover the essentials of performing the job of a home caregiver, as well as providing them with skills that help them recognize symptoms and manage a variety of specific conditions that care recipients may have, such as diabetes, autism, and heart disease.
Studying the Impact of Caregiver Training Through Research
As Eldridge explains to Ton-Quinlivan, CCA has developed many partnerships with academic researchers so that CCA’s training outcomes can be studied and analyzed to help inform future coursework. The goal of this type of research is to determine which practical skills are most effective for caregivers, and which aspects of skills training improve the health and well-being of the care recipients they care for.
For example, a recent study on the efficacy of online training for workers caring for people with Alzheimer’s and related dementias (ADRD) showed that the training course improved knowledge and caregiving skills. It also boosted self-efficacy in managing symptoms.
Training That Opens New Career Pathways to Workers
Beyond developing relevant job skills, Eldridge sees training as a critical component in creating jobs that will attract and retain long-term care workers.
“Access to training makes you feel more confident in your work and actually keeps you in the work because you have something to look forward to and a way to advance,” says Eldridge.
In this valuable discussion on WorkforceRx, you’ll also learn about the need for culturally and linguistically competent caregivers. The discussion also includes the complexities of providing care to family members, and why Eldridge thinks these challenging times call for creativity in caregiving.
Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: WorkforceRx with Corinne Eldridge, CCA
About the Center for Caregiver Advancement
The Center for Caregiver Advancement (CCA) is committed to building the workforce of highly trained caregivers that many Californians can’t live without. CCA is the state’s most experienced provider of free, accessible caregiver training that focuses on a supportive, experience-based learning environment.
Research studies about the impact of our training programs help to advance policy initiatives to develop career pathway opportunities and build professionalization within long-term care. For more information, we invite you to explore our caregiver training programs and caregiving impact stories.
Image Credits: Futuro Health, Workforce Rx, Van Ton-Quinlivan; CCA
Listen to another podcast featuring Corinne Eldridge: A Question of Care
