Training Caregivers Gets Good Results

Kaiser Health News (KHN) ran a story about the benefits of training caregivers to give care. Teaching In-Home Caregivers Seems To Pay Off  explains that “[u]nder a pilot program, nearly 6,000 aides in Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Contra Costa counties were trained in CPR and first aid, as well infection control, medications, chronic diseases and other areas. All were workers of the In-Home Supportive Services program, who are paid by the state to care for low-income seniors and people with disabilities, many of them relatives.” As a result  of the training? Emergency room visits and hospital admissions were down for this group.

We all know the need for caregivers is rising. So having well-trained caregivers seems to be a no-brainer.  Yet, the article reminds us, “[t]here are currently no federal training requirements for in-home caregivers, even if they are paid with taxpayer dollars. Around the country, however, training programs have been developed and tested, according to the Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute, an advocacy group that also provides training. Among the states that have tried different types of instruction are Massachusetts, North Carolina and Michigan.”  Caregivers do a lot of tasks for the elders in their care, and many caregivers are unpaid family members. But, “some states pay caregivers for eligible low-income residents through their Medicaid programs.” The article offers some details about the training program. “The results of the study show that caregivers play a pivotal role in helping keep people out of the hospital….”