What to Expect From Elderly Caregiver Training Programs in Charleston, SC
Written by:
Jeffrey Grossman
Published:
August 23rd, 2021
The current shortage of in-home caregivers has led to an abundance of open positions all across the country. If you’re looking for a rewarding and lucrative career, now is a great time to look into elderly caregiver training in Charleston, SC.
However, not all caregiver training programs are the same. There are some elderly caregiver training programs that better prepare you for the job than others.For example, many people think they need to take a certified nursing assistant (CNA) course and receive a CNA certification in SC before starting a career in caregiving. This route will give you good medical training, but won’t provide you with the actual skills needed for in-home care.Instead, you need relevant, specific training for home caregivers taught by experienced caregivers. With this type of caregiver training, you’ll be more equipped and ready to provide quality care to aging seniors.Do you want to learn more about how to become an excellent caregiver?In this article, we’re talking all about home caregiver training. You’ll learn what to look for in training classes for caregivers, and the advantages of an agency-specific caregiver training program.Keep reading to learn how you can sign up for one of the best caregiver training university programs in SC.
What to Expect from In-home Caregiver Training Programs
Not all in-home caregiver training programs are created equal. The best elderly caregiver training programs:
Use multiple training formats
Provide comprehensive training content
Ensure results
Let’s look at these three components of good home caregiver training in more detail.
1. Multiple Learning Formats
The goal of any advanced caregiver training is to ensure that you have both the head knowledge and hands-on skills to provide quality care to aging adults. Many home care agencies utilize online modules and in-person training to provide a comprehensive learning experience. Here’s a quick look at what you can expect from online and in-person caregiver training.
Online Training
The best training classes for caregivers merge multiple different learning formats. They provide training content in a way that’s both informative and engaging.For example, Commonwise Home Care’s caregiver training university course includes an 8-hour online portion. Instead of pages of text or long videos, the online training includes:
Role-playing scenarios
Flashcards and quizzes
The content is fun and engaging, which helps you learn and retain the information.
In-person Training
When training caregivers of the elderly, a good in-home agency won’t only provide you with online training. Instead, they’ll also include an in-person training session. In-person training allows you to practice the caregiver skills you learned online. As experienced caregivers walk you through different scenarios, you’ll receive feedback and tips on how to handle different situations. In-person training also offers you the time and space to ask trained caregivers questions or address any caregiving concerns. Online and in-person home caregiver training works together to ensure you truly understand and know how to properly care for aging adults.But it’s not only the training formats that are important—a good training program also provides you with the skills you need to succeed.
2. Comprehensive Training Content
Home caregivers need various skills to be effective in caring for the elderly. Most training classes for caregivers will emphasize practical (hard) skills but undervalue soft (hospitality) skills and self-care techniques.Below is a list of the three skill areas that elderly caregiver training in Charleston, SC and other cities should cover.
Hard skills
Caregiver training programs should equip caregivers with practical skills relevant to caring for an elderly person in their home. These skills might include:
Ambulating (assisting a client to walk)
Transferring (i.e., moving a client from a chair to a bed)
Bathing and dressing
Driving to and from appointments
Practical skills training better equips caregivers to serve aging seniors with competence and confidence.
Soft skills
Hands-on skills are important, but it’s often the soft skills that make a great caregiver.Soft skills allow a caregiver to enter into an elderly person’s home and make this person feel comfortable. A caregiver with hospitality skills can make the client feel safe, respected, and appreciated, while also accomplishing the necessary tasks at hand. Invaluable hospitality skills might include:
Persuading rather than commanding
Soothing a client
Resolving conflicts
Encouraging a client with chronic pain
Maintaining the client’s dignity
Though much of a caregiver’s role is to provide tangible assistance to a client, caregiving is ultimately about caring for the client as a person. A home caregiver training that provides soft skills training will set their caregivers up for long-term success.
Self-care
Caregiving is a very rewarding career, but it can also be challenging, both emotionally and physically. In order to maintain high-quality client care, caregivers must be trained to practice self-care skills.Self-care involves taking steps to ensure that you’re maintaining your physical, mental, and emotional health. Self-care may include:
Intentional nutrition
Regular exercise
Enjoyable hobbies
Effective rest
Consistent self-care is a necessary part of staying happy and healthy as a professional caregiver. The healthier you are, the better you can care for elderly adults.If your caregiver training program uses multiple learning styles and covers all three skill types, then you can expect the program to set you up for success.
3. High-quality Results
Lastly, you should expect that a top-level training program will get you the caregiver results you’re looking for. As a result of good training for home caregivers, you’ll be:
Equipped to assist clients with activities of daily life (ADLs)
Comfortable interacting with clients struggling with confusion and/or distress
Able to overcome challenges that may arise
Conscious of your own self-care needs
Confident in your ability to provide quality in-home care
When training classes for caregivers use different learning styles and teach all the necessary skills, you’ll be prepared to start a meaningful and sustainable career in caregiving.
3 Advantages of Agency-specific Training for Home Caregivers
There are many ways to receive general caregiver training. However, if you’re planning to work as a caregiver professionally, receiving your training from a home care agency is the best way to prepare for a career in caregiving.When you attend a caregiver training university at an accredited home care agency, you’ll have the confidence that your training is relevant, relational, and reliable.
Relevant
Above all else, a home care company’s training is highly relevant. You don’t want to waste valuable time and money learning skills that don’t apply to what you will be doing with your clients. By receiving your training from an established home care company, you’ll ensure that all the training you receive is directly applicable to your role as a caregiver.
Relational
Second, attending a training program at a home care agency allows you to build relationships with others in the same organization. Care managers will provide professional ongoing support as you handle the daily ups and downs of caregiving. Meanwhile, getting to know other caregivers provides the basis for friendship with others who can relate to your caregiving experiences.
Reliable
Third, home care agencies are motivated to develop:
Techniques that work well in any caregiving role
Training materials that set their caregivers up for success
Taking a home caregiver training course through an established and respected agency ensures that what you learn has been put to the test with good results.
The Best Elderly Caregiver Training in Charleston, SC
Becoming a caregiver in South Carolina doesn’t require any prior experience or specific certifications, but there is a lot to learn when it comes to providing excellent care to elderly adults. The best way to set yourself up for success as a caregiver is to attend a caregiver training program. Specific training for home caregivers will:
Use online and in-person training formats
Provide comprehensive skills training
Ensure the results you want
But to get the best in-class home caregiver training, you’ll want to look into agency-specific training programs. Attending caregiver training through a home care company will ensure your training is:
Relevant
Relational
Reliable
Are you eager to participate in this kind of caregiver training? At Commonwise Home Care in Charleston, SC, we pride ourselves on our in-house caregiver training program called Caregiver University (CU). We designed CU around principles discussed in this article because we realized that other caregiver programs were lacking. Using a combination of online and in-person training sessions, caregivers receive training in all the hard, soft, and self-care skills needed to provide quality in-home care. We’re also committed to continuing to support our caregivers with ongoing assistance, resources, and guidance. Apply to our open positions and begin your journey toward a rewarding and fulfilling career today.