As a family caregiver, you’re likely doing everything you can for your care recipient. You might be tired, stressed, or burnt out. But you still get it done. So, what’s the benefit of caregiver training anyway? Is this professional development worth your time?

Here, you’ll learn:

1. How learning essential skills improves care
2. Why training makes it safer for you to provide care
3. The next steps to learn more about caregiver training

Some important elements of caregiving may surprise you. For example, did you know that prioritizing your own self-care and wellness will improve the care you give someone else? Topics like these are just one of the many skills Trualta offers caregivers like you. Let’s dive into the importance of caregiver training.

1. Learn Skills To Improve Your Care

You know how to get things done, but sometimes it’s hard, especially when things don’t go as planned. Getting formal training on specific tasks, like personal care, can make things easy, safe, and efficient. This helps create better days for you and your care recipient. A caregiver training program is often curated by health professionals in the relevant fields. It allows you to gain practical, expert tips from people who know what they’re talking about.

Some training topics you could learn in a caregiver training program are:

• Communication skills when helping your care recipients or clients with dementia.
• Tips and tools for hands-on help with personal care tasks like bathing, oral care, brushing teeth, and getting dressed. 
• Navigating challenging caregiver situations in dementia care like wandering, sundowning, driving cessation, aggression, or deciding when it’s time for an assisted living facility or long term care. 
• Finding help like respite care, financial assistance, or how to find a home health aide in your community. 

2. Make Your Care Safer

There’s no shame in a close call you may have had! You’re not alone. In a caregiver training program, you learn expert tips to keep you and your care recipient safe while providing direct assistance and even while you’re looking away. Some examples of skills you could learn are:

• Setting up the home environment to make it safe. For example, modifying living spaces, removing tripping hazards, and reducing fall risks. 
• Using tools and positioning techniques to ensure transfers are safe for you and your care recipient.
• Emergency preparedness in case something happens to you or your care recipient’s condition changes. 
• Applying basic first aid. Accidents can happen, so using basic first aid when needed is valuable.
• Taking effective care plan notes during medical appointments to ensure best practices in home care as recommended by your care recipient’s healthcare team.

3. Reduce Stress & Burnout

Worrying about providing your care recipient with the best quality care is tiring. And many caregivers know that extra tips could help. However, some caregivers say they don’t know how to prioritize training on top of everything else they have on their plate. 

Investing a little time now goes a long way toward saving you time, effort, and strain in the long run. Growing your skills can help you feel more confident in the savvy caregiver you are, and this works to counteract doubts and feelings of stress and burnout. 

There are ways to make training more accessible for you. For example, the American Caregiver Association offers a variety of online training programs and videos that can help you grow your skills in the comfort of your home at a time that works best for you. Trualta also offers caregiver training to several states and Area Agencies for Aging as well as Health Plans.

What Are My Next Steps?

Training needs to be right for you and suit your current needs. When trying to find caregiver training that’s right for you, consider the following questions while completing your search:

• Does my training course need to be specific to a particular diagnosis? 
• Would it be easier to learn in-person or online and on-demand? 
• Am I looking for specific skills in particular areas of care support?
• Do I want basic training or something more in-depth? 
• Am I willing to pay, or am I looking for something free of charge? 

Gaining caregiving skills from formal training created by experts in the field can help you provide quality care for your care recipient. Knowing that you have the essential skills to promote better days can help ensure you and your care recipient are safer, less stressed, and ready to take on what the caregiver journey has in store for you next. 

You can learn more about caregiver training on Trualta. Check if you have free access today.

References:

https://americancaregiverassociation.org

https://www.cielgr.com/blog/the-importance-and-benefits-of-caregiver-certification

https://amyseden.com/caregiver-certification/