Thank you caregivers and certified nursing aides for your hard work and the care you provide for our seniors. More caregivers are always needed as seniors in America are living longer. You can learn more about becoming a senior caregiver and apply for a job near you. We invite you to take a moment to relax and enjoy this week's stress relief photo and inspirational quote and share them with loved ones. This week's photo was taken in St. Ives, Cornwall in England on a brisk spring day. Have a great week.
"A ship in port is safe, but that's not what ships are built for." -Grace Murray Hopper
Nothing takes away the excitement of traveling like realizing that you planned to go for a nice swim but your swimsuit didn't make it into your suitcase before you left. Senior caregivers who help clients pack for a trip in particular have a lot to remember from medications to extra items for comfort such as blankets and pillows. If you or your senior client are planning a trip home for Easter this weekend or taking your own spring break, use the PackPoint app to plan and pack everything you'll need for a stress free trip.
When users first open the app, it asks for pertinent details about their trip such as destination, date leaving, number of nights you'll be gone and if the trip is for business or leisure. The next screen asks users to select specific activities they might do during their trip, such as gym, camping or fancy dinner.
For each activity selected, the app generates a pre-existing list of items users could want to use while they do it. For example, the swimming list adds a pool swimsuit, swimsuit coverup, goggles and sandals to the packing list. In addition to the specialty categories, the app generates a list of Essentials and Toiletries categories as part of the overall packing list too.
Once caregivers pack an item on the list, they can click the circle next to the item and a check mark will appear inside of it. The item also turns grey and shifts to the bottom of the list for an easy visual on what's left to pack. Users also have the option to type additional items into any of the lists. For items such as socks or underwear that need to be refreshed on a daily basis, the app also places a number on the packing list that corresponds with the number of nights you will be traveling.
The app also offers the ability to sync with Evernote, a notes and to-do list app. If caregivers already use that app, syncing the two together will make keeping track of overall tasks easier. Particularly if you're preparing a senior client for a trip, make sure to cover all bases from a medical perspective and a comfort perspective. Talk to their doctor and pack all necessary medications as well as any medical supplies needed for their regular routine. Additionally, pack outfits that incorporate a lot of layers for unpredictable temperatures and run through their daily routine in your head to pinpoint any other important items they might need.
The PackPoint app is available for Apple and Android platforms.
Senior caregivers, let us know your feedback on this app and keep us posted if you discovers additional apps that assist with caregiving duties and help relieve caregiver stress. You may also refer-a-friend to a senior caregiving job and win prizes weekly and monthly on Caregiverlist.
-Paige Krzysko
Caregivers for seniors must meet many requirements, including being able to pass a background check and a drug test which could be given at anytime.
Senior Home Care Agencies and caregiver recruiters may attend this webinar to understand how some try to cheat on drug tests and how quality services eliminate this ability.
Clearstar Academy Webinar: Cheating On Your Drug Test from the User's Point of View
Join this free Webinar as Todd Shoulberg, EVP, Medical Information Services for Clearstar explores the most popular websites devoted to cheating on drug tests and what makes those sites successful. This session will not review cheating from the scientific lab level but from the perspective of the donor searching the web for solutions.
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
2:00 PM Eastern Time
11 AM Pacific Time
REGISTER NOW
Caregivers may purchase a background check from Clearstar at anytime to make sure their information is accurate as the digital age has lead to more mistakes in reporting. It is always a good idea to check your background check information at least once a year.
California caregivers, beginning this year, must now show competence in specific training requirements in order to be employed as a senior caregiver. As more seniors prefer to remain in their own homes, having a consistent training path assists senior care companies to maintain quality standards and assists caregivers to grow their careers. Senior home care companies are also required to follow the training requirements and train all of their caregiver employees.
- How do you become a certified caregiver in California?
Show an understanding, or "competency" in the skills outlined by the
California Home Care Services Consumer Protection Act which become effective in January, 2016, while providing time for senior care companies to train their caregivers in 2016. Online
caregiver training is accepted for training in the new California law.
- What is the California caregiver training requirement?
5 + 5 Hours of training with 5 hours surrounding Orientation training and Safety training required before working with a senior and 5 hours in core competency skills such as how to transfer a senior safely, HIPAA privacy requirements, identifying and reporting elder abuse and how to follow a daily care plan and take notes.
- How much training must a California caregiver complete before working with a senior client?
Orientation training and safety training must be completed before working with a client.
- How does a caregiver show they are trained?
By taking an exam and obtaining a passing score to show you have understood the concepts outlined by the state of California as caregiver training. Document this by receiving a certificate to show
- name of the training,
- date training was taken
- name of training resource
- signature of the training supervisor.
- your signature
Caregivers can apply for a caregiving job to be considered by senior care companies in their area and receive training by their employers, too.
Senior home care agencies in California may train their caregivers using the Caregiverlist training portal and easily keep all of their trainees organized for state compliance and renewal training.
Happy first day of Spring! Thank you caregivers and certified nursing aides for your hard work and caring for our seniors. Senior care training assists caregivers to better manage a senior's care needs and manage caregiver stress. This week's stress relief photo was taken at the famous Cliffs of Moher in County Clare on the west coast of Ireland. It is a dramatic and stunning sight even on a cloudy day. Please enjoy and feel free to share the photo and inspirational quote with loved ones. We hope you have a great week.
"May your troubles be less
And your blessings be more.
And nothing but happiness
Come through your door."
-Irish Blessing
Caregivers have a lot to remember to do between the specific needs of their senior clients and their personal lives. Using the Todoist app, caregivers can easily track and plan for all of the errands and work tasks they need to complete.
When caregivers first download the Todoist app, they will need to create individual profiles to store all of their tasks. The Todosit app breaks To Do lists down by which Project they fit in. The basic category options in Todoist include Personal, Shopping, Work, Errands and Movies to Watch. Caregivers can also add their own custom categories by clicking "Add Project" at the bottom of the main screen.
Under each Project, users create a list of specific tasks. Caregivers specifically could create a Project for each senior client to organize specific work related tasks for each person instead of grouping them all together. Caregivers can also share the Project with other contacts if it involves splitting up tasks. This feature gives users the ability to collaborate and view the progress of others on their specific task lists.
New tasks require a Name plus Project assignment, and optional fields include Due Date, Priority, and Parent tasks. For caregivers, a task such as going to the doctor with a senior client could be a parent task for going pharmacy to pick up and necessary medications. Caregivers also have the option to set reoccurring tasks, such as "take a walk for stress relief" on a daily basis.
Once caregivers load several tasks into the app, they can click on the "Next 7 Days" area of the app to view a snapshot of the next week and how their due dates line up. Conveniently, to the right of each task in this view, caregivers can see which Project it belongs to. This makes it easy for caregivers to visualize their different obligations and determine how to best manage their time.
When users complete individual tasks, they can mark them as such in the app and then the tasks appear greyed out with a line through them. A sorting view by level of priority also helps users figure out the order of importance. Unfortunately, reminders for task completion and labels cannot be accessed by free users. If caregivers would like access to these features, they must upgrade to the paid version of the app.
The Todoist app is available for
Apple and
Android platforms.
Senior caregivers, let us know your feedback on this app and keep us posted if you discovers additional apps that assist with caregiving duties and help relieve caregiver stress. You may also refer-a-friend to a senior caregiving job and win prizes weekly and monthly on Caregiverlist.
-Paige Krzysko
Winter is giving way to spring and the days are getting longer. This week's stress relief photo was taken along the lakefront in Chicago. We invite you to take a moment to enjoy the photo and the inspirational quote and feel free to share them with loved ones. Caregivers provide companionship and caregiving to seniors, and must remember to "care for the caregiver." Thank you caregivers and certified nursing aides for your hard work and caring for our seniors. Have a great week.
"You are never to old to set another goal or to dream another dream." -C.S. Lewis