Caregivers at the Assisting Hands Arlington Heights/Winnetka branch can now embark on a tiered training program as part of an ongoing initiative to improve quality of care, caregiver satisfaction, and retention in home care.
This year, the Home Care Association of America encouraged home care agencies to
“ELEVATE THE PROFESSION OF CAREGIVING”
To us, this means that our caregiving team is not only respected and valued, but also that the company actively invests in their education and development.
If we want our care team to stay with home care for years to come, we feel it’s important to create a career path. The training program allows caregivers to move through tiers 1-6, a career ladder here that involves continuing education, longevity with the agency, and reflecting on feedback from clients and staff.
Caregiver Level two training includes a 4 week course where a cohort of caregivers meet weekly in the office training area. Keeping the same team together through the month creates opportunities for peer-to-peer learning and team-building in a field where caregivers are isolated from the coworkers in the field.
The program was developed with the support of industry professionals on customer service and dementia care, as well as internal feedback from our clients on where we can improve our services. Our office staff invited Julie Boggess from Age-U-Cate and Jennifer Evans, a Licensed Customer Experience Coach, to develop the curriculum and train us to deliver the caregiver level 2 program. We strive for the best of the best and appreciate the expertise as we developed the first modules.
Caregivers complete weekly homework from Age-U-Cate and outside assignments with other members of the cohort. At the end of the 4 weeks, they are awarded a raise and the distinction of Caregiver Level 2.
We are proud of our first two cohorts of graduates! Take a look at the proud smiles on their faces (and mind) as they reached this milestone!
