Caring for a grandmother
I worked as a caregiver throughout my teenage years in Bengaluru, India. My maternal grandmother, who was aging and ailing, lived with my parents and me. She was spirited, fiercely independent, and loved watching American soap operas like Santa Barbara and The Bold and the Beautiful. However, she was also prone to heart failure and suffered from diabetes and high blood pressure.
Daily care was not a major challenge, but when heart failure began to develop, my grandmother had barely 20 minutes before her lungs filled with fluid, causing potentially fatal pulmonary edema. My parents both worked, so I was often the only caregiver at home to care for her. Whenever she showed symptoms of heart failure, I carried her to the family car and drove her to the nearest hospital where she could receive immediate life-saving treatment.
That was over 20 years ago, when there was little knowledge about home care and emergency treatment in India. While this lack of knowledge has improved, it is still in short supply in India as people often choose to care for the elderly and infirm in their families at home.
California is turning grey
In California, however, the California Department of Aging (CDA) has implemented a clear plan to address the needs of the state’s aging population with the Master Plan for Aging. By 2030, approximately 10.8 million people in California will be older adults, nearly a quarter of the population, triggering a need for trained home care workers to play a critical role in addressing this looming healthcare challenge.
At an Ethnic Media Services briefing on August 15, CDA leaders and caregivers shared how the CalGrows training program helps unlicensed caregivers, home health aides (HHA) and certified nursing assistants (CNA) improve their skills and learn new ones. These unpaid family members and friends often fill this important gap in health care.
CalGrows trains caregivers
“CalGrows is truly more than just a training program,” said Connie Nakano, a veteran California government official and deputy communications director for the Department of Aging. “It’s an investment in our community. By supporting caregivers, we ensure our loved ones receive the care they deserve. And by participating, you’ll not only advance your career, but you’ll also have a positive impact on the lives of countless people in our community.”
CalGrows’ training programs have helped California caregivers improve their skills and become more effective when working with the elderly and frail. There are over 600 courses, both online and in person, some in 9 different languages, all free.
As an added incentive, caregivers can earn up to $6,000 for taking courses. While anyone, even undocumented immigrants, can enroll in the unpaid courses, you must qualify to receive the paid incentives.
CalGrows Incentives
It is important to note that all CalGrows incentive applications MUST be submitted for disbursement by 8/31. Other courses will be available on the CalGrows website by the end of September when the current round of funding for this program ends. The Department of Aging hopes to secure future rounds of funding for the program.
According to Nakano, the training incentive has been a great success. She said, “To date, about 14,000 nurses have already completed 89,000 courses and we have provided about $7 million in incentives for taking those courses. So we encourage all nurses to take advantage of the CalGrows program.” The incentives were distributed evenly between paid and unpaid nurses.
The story of a nurse
Lidia Mawalu, a paid caregiver and CalGrows intern in Monterey County, is Fijian and represents the Pacific Islander community, which has long been a leader in care in the United States. “My experience with the CalGrows training was really outstanding, fantastic,” Mawalu said, adding, “I would recommend it to other people who have seniors in their community or in the family.” Mawalu said she gained a wealth of knowledge from the program that helped her understand from a medical perspective “what is actually going on inside the human being and what an older person goes through in their day-to-day life.”
Mawalu found an ally in Carmen Contreras, another CalGrows intern who signed up for some classes after her father suffered a stroke and needed constant home care. Contreras said patients are often new to the disease they have and need the reassurance that they have someone to help them and guide them through the illness in order to experience “the best quality of life possible.”
600+ courses
The 600+ courses offered include dementia care, patient-centered communication, mobility assistance techniques, healthcare professional self-care, chronic disease management, and care team collaboration. With a powerful search engine on the CalGrows website, prospective trainees can easily find what’s right for them, their schedule, and their specific needs.
Although many courses are available online, many also offer hands-on, on-site training, sometimes lasting weeks, so caregivers can apply what they’ve learned in a facility setting. “They teach you all the skills you need to be able to … help a patient with bathing, dressing, activities and daily living,” Conteras explained.
Beyond healthcare, communication is critical in patient care, especially with specialists, Conteras said. “Patients don’t understand, and not knowing the language is always scary for them.” Having a caregiver who can explain everything step by step and bridge communication gaps between doctor and patient “does wonders for the patient,” Conteras said.
Forging a career path
For professional, paid caregivers like Mawalu, the programs and associated certifications (e.g., HHA and CNA) help build a professional career and serve as foundation courses for qualifying as a registered nurse or certified nurse practitioner.
The programs also attract professionals from nursing facilities, retirement homes and community centers. Sean Hidalgo, the course director at ACC Senior Services in Sacramento, has taught and attended courses through CalGrows. He said a course called “The Aging Process” helped him better understand the different aging processes, since not everyone ages the same. “I learned some diets and lifestyle choices that I could talk about with the seniors here to help the community at the center make better health choices.”
Support for CalGrows
Hidalgo encouraged Californians to advocate for the continuation of these courses and to make them a permanent part of the CDA, as they are invaluable for an aging population.
The panel representatives agreed that while science and medical procedures represent important knowledge, the collaboration between patient and caregiver is at the heart of daily life and deserves more attention.
“We have a mutual relationship,” Mawalu said. “It is a very compassionate and loving job. Let others know that caring is a pleasant job.”
APPLY BEFORE AUGUST 31 TO GET PAID TO TAKE NURSING COURSES The California Department of Aging offers over 600 free courses to choose from through its CalGrows initiative.
Image by Rosy / Bad Homburg / Germany from Pixabay
