• The 1199SEIU Training and Employment Funds sponsors the “Massachusetts Home Care Training Benefit Personal Care Attendants Training Program,” a consumer-directed training program that provides personal care attendants (PCA) with 25 hours of training to strengthen their knowledge and skills.
• Participants gain condition-specific expertise in areas such as dementia care to better support care recipients and help them remain in their homes.
• The first 200 PCAs who complete the program are eligible for a $1,000 stipend. Although PCAs reported that the stipend was beneficial, most said they would have taken the training regardless.
• Participants reported high satisfaction with the training and identified three topics as most relevant to their work:
  1. Adult first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and automated external defibrillation (AED)
  2. Nutrition and diabetes
  3. Communication and boundary setting

• The program increased PCAs’ understanding of their role and job satisfaction, strengthened their confidence in their caregiving skills, led to perceived improvements in the quality of care provided to care recipients, and provided practical strategies they could use on the job. PCAs who participated in the training are likely to continue as a PCA in the next year and to advance their career as a caregiver.

• 91% reported being satisfied or very satisfied with the training program instructors.
• 85% found the online training platform easy or very easy to use.
• 72% reported that the workshop fit easily into their schedules.
• The topics most frequently identified as relevant and helpful were Adult First Aid/CPR/AED, Nutrition and Diabetes, and Communication and Boundary Setting.

• 91% of PCAs reported gaining a clearer understanding of their role in consumer-directed care.
• 87% reported greater satisfaction with their role as a PCA.
• 61% reported no change in their burnout symptoms since completing the training.
• 96% agreed or strongly agreed that the training improved the care they provide to their care recipient.

On average, program participants rated their confidence in their caregiving skills as 4.1 out of 5 after completing the core and elective workshops. Confidence in skills learned in the core workshops ranged from 4.1 to 4.2, while confidence in skills gained in the elective workshops ranged from 3.8 to 4.4.

• 67% indicated they are unlikely to leave their job in the next year.
• 49% said they are very likely to advance their career as a caregiver, for example, by becoming a home health aide or a certified nursing assistant.
• 78% said they are at least somewhat interested in training to become a certified nursing assistant.

Most of the 11 PCAs interviewed spoke positively about the training program. Interviews revealed that the program:

• Improved PCAs’ knowledge of caregiving practices and provided practical strategies for use at work (n=8).
• Featured effective facilitators who were knowledgeable and competent, and who explained training materials clearly (n=6) while creating an interactive environment that encouraged peer learning through questions and the sharing of real-world examples (n=7).
• Increased PCAs’ confidence in their caregiving role, including feeling better supported when managing challenging situations and when caring for the consumers they serve (n=4).
• Helped PCAs apply strategies, including redirecting care recipients living with dementia, setting clear boundaries with care recipients, adjusting meal plans, and managing blood sugar levels for care recipients with diabetes (n=8).