As a health plan that has invested $15 million over the past five years to train more than 4,400 In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) workers who care for its members with complex needs, L.A. Care Health Plan applauds the state of California for launching the IHHS Career Pathways Program. L.A. Care’s firsthand experience with an IHSS training program gives it a unique perspective on how valuable such training is for improving health outcomes and how the state ensure can ensure quality and continuity in trainings across the state.
Since 2017, L.A. Care has funded a program run by the Center for Caregiver Advancement (formerly the California Long-Term Care Education Center). The IHSS+ Home Care Integration Training Program is a 10-week course that educates and empowers the caregivers for seniors and persons with disabilities through the state’s IHSS program. While the program trains caregivers in things like CPR, first aid, nutrition, and home safety, a major goal is to train caregivers to capture a change in function in members, so it can be reported to a health care professional before it becomes a bigger health problem. L.A. Care’s analysis has shown that the training has significantly reduced hospital admissions and visits to the emergency room by members who have a trained in-home caregiver.
Based upon its experience, L.A. Care recommends the California Department of Social Services create specific standards for curricula and training, in consultation with stakeholders. L.A. Care sent a letter to the department on January 27, suggesting just that. Standardized training is the best way to ensure the quality and equity everyone wants to see.
L.A. Care’s next 10-week session get underway tomorrow, with courses for caregivers who speak English, Spanish and Armenian. Offering courses in the predominant language spoken in the home offers the greatest chance that the caregivers will understand and retain valuable information that will mean a better quality of life and better health outcomes for the members they serve.