Initially, the concept of standardizing training to provide highly personalized care might seem like a healthcare paradox. How can uniform training promote care that’s truly person-centered?
When it comes to home care, there’s a current lack of uniform training standards that isn’t doing the healthcare industry any favors. While standards exist for home health aides and other caregivers in similar roles, home care standards fall short.
Without standardized training, every aspect of the care cycle is impacted, including the home care provider, the home care agency operator, and most importantly — the person receiving care. Below are just a few examples of how lack of uniform training can negatively impact those involved in the care continuum:
Personal home care aide: Feels lack of confidence and competence in their ability to provide adequate care when a challenging situation arises and chooses to leave their role.
Home care recipient: Receives low-quality care and is put at greater risk for falls, other hazards or general decline with their health.
Family member: Pressed to find replacement if home care provider quits unexpectedly or is unable to provide high-quality care — possibly resulting in the option of home care being taken off the table altogether.
Home care agency operator: Suffers from unprepared staff, lack of referrals or negative care outcomes.
Home care training challenges
Because home care aides come from many different backgrounds, standardizing their training can pose a unique set of challenges. Some home care aides are interested in the flexibility and looking to enter the healthcare industry, while others were referred by friends or family members. Personal home care aides also vary in terms of healthcare experience, age, and background, while state requirements also differ in terms of onboarding hours and training.
COVID-19 has also contributed to unforeseen challenges for personal home care businesses. Infection prevention and control training was not the priority that it has recently become, as most home care training focuses on assisting with daily activities and reducing everyday risks such as slips and trips.
Quickly and effectively rolling out new infection-related best practices has proven challenging for many aspects of the healthcare industry, and home care is no exception. Home care providers might also have less access to technology that house e-learning training, which has grown in popularity during COVID-19 to reduce in-person education sessions. The 2020 State of Training and Staff Development Study shows that, in response to COVID-19, 87% of healthcare organizations maintained or increased their investment in training, with many turning to online training and use of a learning management system.
The business case for standardizing home care training
While most healthcare leaders agree that standardizing care leads to consistent care and better outcomes, getting there is another story. In terms of home care, it’s important to understand that we’re not starting from scratch. One approach would be to draw from home health aide standards and remove what’s not applicable. Although states require different number of hours for onboarding and training, it’s helpful to focus on and build upon the similarities of the requirements as opposed to their differences — saving time, money, and leveraging already proven best practices.
Improving the standardization of home care training will ultimately lead to more confident and more capable staff. When home care providers feel more competent in their ability to provide high-quality care, they’re not only able to make a more profound impact on those they’re caring for, they are also more likely to stay in the healthcare workforce. The turnover rate for caregivers was 64.3% in 2019, leaving significant room for improvement in cost savings and better quality outcomes if more experienced staff felt fulfilled in their roles.
By offering additional training on specific topics like dementia, fall prevention or nutrition support, home care providers can have an active role in providing more person-centered care. This will also increase staff’s confidence and capabilities. Person-centered care improves quality outcomes for those receiving care, increases staff engagement and critical thinking — ultimately impacting referrals and a home care business’s bottom line.
In today’s modern workforce, leaders and managers understand that staff feel appreciated and empowered when they’re supported in learning and developing new skills. While home care providers might choose to leave their role for several reasons, having advancement opportunities in place will help keep their knowledge and experience within the healthcare industry.
People are drawn to home care because they have a passion for providing personalized care and leaders have a responsibility to keep them engaged and supported. By empowering staff through training and education, managers will build a more dedicated and confident team capable of providing truly personalized care.
Don Spiers is a senior product manager at Relias, providing market insight on home health, hospice and home care. Prior to Relias, he worked in home- and community-based support services for over five years, serving persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Don holds a Bachelor of Science degree in biological science, with a focus in microbiology, from North Carolina State University.
