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Innovative Programs Serving Diverse Populations: The Community College Caregiver Training Initiative

March 22, 2009

Turnover among homecare workers is alarmingly high, due to difficult working conditions, low pay, few benefits and little opportunity for career advancement. The significance of our Community College Caregiver Training Initiative is reinforced by the recommendation by the Institute of Medicine in its 2008 report, Retooling for an Aging America, for improved education and training and support for professional caregivers.

An Educational Pathway for Geriatric Home Caregivers

November 25, 2008

The establishment of a multi-tiered educational pathway for geriatric home caregivers would support efforts to meet the needs of an increasing number of community dwelling older adults who require assistance with activities of daily living, while generating a cadre of qualified employees for an expanding non-medical private home care market. An educational pathway for geriatric home caregivers would also standardize the training of home care assistants while providing these individuals access to routine, high quality continuing education opportunities and the potential for career advancement. This issue brief provides two model educational pathways toward becoming a Geriatric Home Caregiver.

The Need for National Training Standards and Guidelines for Privately Paid Geriatric Home Caregivers

November 14, 2008

Contrary to public opinion, America's institution-centered long-term care (LTC) system does not serve the majority of older adults. Currently, nursing homes serve less than 20% of older adults needing care, and thus do not provide a viable solution for future caregiving needs. While these LTC institutions will continue to play an important role in providing care for our most frail older adults who need skilled nursing and/or medical care, they will not be necessary for the vast majority of older adults who simply need nonmedical caregiving, that is, help with activities of daily living. There is, and will continue to be, an urgent need for a large cadre of trained caregivers for older adults who live at home. This issue brief calls for the development of national training standards and a caregiver certifying organization that provides national oversight.

Media Takes: On Aging

November 8, 2008

With the longevity revolution, humankind enters a new and unprecedented stage of development, the impact of which is even greater because of its rapidity. This report/styleguide is an important step in overcoming ageist language and beliefs by providing journalists and others who work in the media with an appropriate body of knowledge, including a lexicon that helps redefine and navigate this new world.

Caregiving Training in America & Southern California

October 30, 2008

Who are the professional, in-home caregivers of older Americans and how are they trained? This report presents findings of a national review -- or environmental scan -- of caregiver training programs and curricula, conducted by the International Longevity Center (ILC) as an initiative of the Caregiving Project for Older Americans, a joint project of the ILC and the Schmieding Center for Senior Health and Education.While the review is national in scope, special emphasis is placed on Los Angeles and Orange Counties in Southern California, two of the most diverse and populous areas in the country.

Caregiving Recruitment Training

September 22, 2008

A 2007 recipient of our Community College Caregiver Training Initiative grant, Piedmont Virginia Community College Workforce Services (PVCC), received funding to develop a comprehensive, 48-hour curriculum for aspiring home health aides to participate in a noncredit certificate program, and to convene an advisory board of local experts on aging to develop modules for certification in a variety of specialized areas of caregiving. In a phone interview, the ILC asked Lyn van der Sommen, M.D., director of the program, to give her impressions of its first year and her thoughts for the future.

Unemployment Insurance and Older Workers in the United States

June 1, 2008

People are living longer and healthier lives at the same time that layoffs are increasing and pension plans are being curtailed. As the era of longevity progresses, unemployment among older Americans is likely to be a growing problem. In addition to the traditional male workforce, a larger number of older women will have had substantially more work experience than was historically true. Among women without spousal support (the single, widowed, and divorced), many will find that they must remain employed if they are to meet their financial needs.

Developing National In-Home Caregiver Training Standards

December 30, 2007

This report incorporates discussion by experts on topics of paid in-home caregiver training standards, including curricula, accreditation, certification, career ladder, and caregiver support.

Reduce Avoidable Hospitalisations: A Policy to Increase Value from Health Care Expenditures

December 13, 2007

An interdisciplinary examination of rates of avoidable hospitalizations in France and England to evaluate access to primary care and identify the extent to which these countries may be able to reduce hospital costs by investing in disease management and primary care.

The Fallacy of the Lump of Labor: Adding to the Costs of Ageism

December 11, 2007

The theory of the lump of labor has helped to perpetuate negative perceptions of older people. The theory rests on the notion that the economy has a fixed number of jobs available and that employment of one group -- in this case older people -- means unemployment of another group. However, among economists, the theory is widely acknowledged to be a fallacy, as it fixates blindly on the short run, and ignores long-run labor market adjustments. This report illustrates just how the lump of labor theory contributes to the total cost of age discrimination in America -- both monetary and nonmonetary.

The Need for Drug Safety: The Older Person and Ageism

December 11, 2007

With errors in the administration of drugs and adverse reactions accounting for more than 100,000 deaths annually, Dr. Robert N. Butler, president and CEO of the ILC-USA, addresses the urgent need for clinical trials that include older adults and careful monitoring of drugs in the years following approval by the FDA.

Immunizations - Not Just for Kids

November 9, 2007

Immunizations/vaccinations are beneficial for most people of all ages. Yet the mistaken belief persists that, with the exception of the flu vaccine, children should be the primary recipients of this important area of primary disease prevention. In fact, older persons require immunization as well. As people grow older they become increasingly vulnerable to a variety of illnesses, and, as informal caregivers of young children, grandparents need to be sensitive to their role in preventing the spread of contagious diseases to the young.