It is essential to be prepared for many different situations when it comes to home care services. Your employees are mostly on their own during their shifts and need to be ready for any possibility. Homecare courses are available online for your employees to help them do their work effectively and efficiently.
Home care is a viable option for clients who do not wish to be in a senior care facility and want to maintain some of their freedoms. Other patients may live with their families and need care during the day while they are at work or out of the house. Leaving a patient with Alzheimer’s or Dementia alone can be dangerous even if it only for a short period.
Coronavirus Training for Caregivers:
Through this class, your employees will learn how to respond to COVID-19. This is not an extensive class on every possible circumstance, but it is an overview of the most common symptoms and methods of preventing the disease from spreading.
Your employees need to understand the best methods of protecting against the virus in their daily lives to better protect the clients they work with on a consistent basis. The caregiver will learn the steps to take if the client exhibits the symptoms of COVID-19 and what steps to take to treat the patient and prevent the spread.
It is essential to keep the elderly population protected from this virus. A considerable number of the elderly population are at a higher risk of death from the virus due to previous health conditions. Included in this course are methods of reducing anxiety related to the spread of the virus and how your employees can keep doing their job effectively and without fear.
Time Management & Organizational Skills:
Organizational skills are vital to a homecare provider. This course will help your employees learn how to operate and manage their daily activities more efficiently. Your employees are responsible for many tasks throughout the day, including ensuring that the patient takes medicines or receives treatments at the correct time.
Poor time management skills can lead to caregivers quitting early and give your company a high turnover rate of homecare providers. Give your employees the tools they need to succeed in homecare, and they are much more likely to stay with your company.
Many tasks are made more difficult by lack of organization. Homecare providers may be asked to cook meals, clean the home, or do laundry, and these tasks, though not difficult on their own, can present the caregiver with problems if they do not know how to manage their time wisely.
Alzheimer’s & Dementia Training:
Many of your clients will have Alzheimer’s or Dementia as a pre-diagnosed condition, but some will begin to show signs of these diseases during your home care provider’s shifts. It is crucial that they know the signs of these diseases to give their patients the best possible care.
For those patients already diagnosed and on medication, it can be difficult to give these patients their medications as they do not have the memory of why they need to take them or who the caregiver is at a given moment.
This class will teach your caregivers how to communicate effectively with their patients and care for them safely. Agitation and aggression are often associated with these diseases, and they can make caring for these patients challenging. By learning safety precautions before interacting with patients, your employees and clients will be safer.
Reporting a Violation of the Rights of the Elderly:
Elderly abuse is all too common among family members and those posing as caregivers. By teaching your employees how to recognize the signs of abuse, they can report it to the proper authorities.
Abuse can come in different forms. Financial abuse, psychological abuse, and sexual abuse are all forms of abuse that can potentially harm your clients. Neglect is not always thought of as abuse, but it can have catastrophic consequences if not caught. Caregivers will learn the common signs of these forms and will also learn how to alert the proper authorities.
Especially those suffering from debilitating diseases are at a higher risk of abuse. They are either unable to voice their concerns or unable to defend themselves against unwanted attention. Caregivers must learn the resources available to elders and how to help their patients live without further suffering.
Caregiver Stress Management:
Through this short curriculum, caregivers will learn how to manage stress and be more aware of their own mental health. Being a caregiver for a patient in end-of-life care or suffering daily from disease takes a toll on the mental health of the caregiver as well as the patient.
Families often give daily responsibilities over caring for their elderly parent or loved one to a caregiver because it is too difficult for them to see their loved one deteriorating. Caring for the elderly takes a unique set of skills, including excellent stress management techniques.
Multiple relaxation techniques are included in this course to give your employees the tools they need to do their best on the job. Mental health is becoming a more mainstream topic and needs to be included in your set of classes for homecare providers.
Conclusion:
This is not an exhaustive list of all the classes there are to explore, but these are considered to be the most beneficial classes to start with for your employees. Lessons to help your employees continue learning will help keep the agency’s turnover lower and allow for growth for your caregiver employees.
COVID-19 has changed the way the elderly are cared for in facilities, and homecare is a favorable option for those that need special care in these difficult times. By providing your caregivers with specialized skills, your company can take on a wide range of clients and continue to excel.