There are an increasing number of elderly Americans who are staying in their own homes or moving into some kind of assisted living facility, which makes the proper training of home care givers vitally important. The training is limited to practical care nurses but also to those who provide services in nursing homes. Increasing in-home care givers, including family to volunteers, are seeking out proper training in order to provide the best possible care for their patience.

Many of these individuals are taking care of elderly parents or a family member who is disabled. They are usually unprepared for the care giver role and often find it stressful and overwhelming. With home care training programs, these individuals can now learn the skills so that they can provide a supportive and safe environment for that love one.

Home care training will cover topics that are important to the in-home care provider so that they can offer a comfortable and safe environment for themselves and the care recipient.

Subjects often covered include:

1: Personal care techniques, such as proper bathing techniques and lift-and-carry techniques.

2: Identifying advance signs and symptoms of medical problems and illness including how to confirm fundamental vital signs.

3: Respecting the dignity and limits of the affected person.

4: The best way to satisfy the physical and dietary requirements of the individual being looked after.

5: Emotional help and well-being concerns.

6: Ways to find and benefit from neighborhood resources for both the care giver and the patient.

7: Special-needs challenges like oxygen use, wheelchairs, and caregiving for bedridden patients.

8: Sustaining overall healthiness as a caregiver.

Caregiving Experience

Good home care training can be the difference between an elder family member staying at home in relative independence and familiarity or being transferred to a nursing home.

Those who are interested in home care training should contact their local community college, local hospital or counsel on aging to find out about training courses nearby. Churches and synagogues are also a good place to start your home base training search.

The programs should be approved by National Alliance for Caregiving or the National Family Caregivers Association which are respected and established organizations. Any home training program that has their approval would have been fully vetted and tested to meet their exacting standards.