When you’re trusting someone to care for your parent, “experienced” isn’t enough of an answer. Experience doing what? Trained by whom? To what standard?
The baseline: what California requires
California requires non-medical home care aides to register with the Home Care Aide Registry and complete a minimum of five hours of initial training within the first 30 days of employment, with three hours of annual continuing education. That’s the legal floor — not a high bar.
What good initial training covers
Safe body mechanics for transfers and mobility assistance, infection control and hand hygiene, recognizing and reporting changes in condition, medication reminders vs. administration — and the legal distinction, documenting care and communicating with supervisors and family, emergency response, client rights and dignity-centered care principles, and mandatory reporting obligations.
What disease-specific training looks like
For Alzheimer’s and dementia care specifically, meaningful training should address the stages of the disease, communication strategies when cognition and language are impaired, managing behavioral symptoms including sundowning and wandering, and dignity-centered personal care approaches.
Ask any agency: Who delivers disease-specific training? Is it a one-time module or ongoing?
The Care partners approach
At Care partners, disease-specific training is not a checkbox. Our programs are developed with input from physicians and care managers and cover the conditions our clients most commonly live with.
What to ask when evaluating an agency
What does your initial training program cover, and how many hours is it? Do caregivers receive disease-specific training? Who delivers your training? What continuing education do you require?
Ask us these questions — we welcome them.