New Washington state training requirements
From January 2012, there are new requirements for training caregivers who work in Washington state. In summary, caregivers who are not exempt (e.g. certified nursing aides) will now have to have 75 hours of training within a few months of working with clients. It is a good idea for caregivers to have training. There is a huge responsibility in placing caregivers in an elderly person's home, where supervision is minimal by the nature of the job. It is essential that caregivers have the skills as well as the moral strength and character to provide such a needed service to the elderly. However, in my opinion this legislation could have some adverse effects.
Firstly, although 75 total hours training is required, only 5 hours have to be completed before a caregiver can be placed with a client (the remainder has to be completed within 120 days). If the aim of this legislation is to protect clients, then it seems to me that caregivers should have much more than 5 hours of basic training before being allowed to work, unsupervised, with their clients.
Training is not available on-line, but has to be done through recognized training centers throughout the state. In our case, this would mean sending our staff about 70 miles for training (from Hood River to Vancouver, the nearest training center), which would probably entail overnight accommodation as well as payment for the training, travel time and mileage. Training centers do not all offer the same courses, so staff may well have to go to different centers to get all the required training.
All this adds up to increased cost of service to clients, since companies will have to pass on the increased cost of employment. Even if agencies decide to employ only certified staff who are exempt from the training requirements, presumably they will demand a higher salary than a non-certified employee, and again, this will all equate to a higher cost for the client.
For some agencies all of this may be just too much, and they may decide to pull out of Washington altogether.
In the meantime, private, individual caregivers remain exempt from any of this legislation. They can charge a lot less than an agency (the client often does not realize that he or she is responsible for employment taxes, insurance etc just like any other employer), and they are unregulated. There are a lot of very good, private caregivers out there; but there are also people who are unscrupulous and see working with the elderly as an easy way to make some money. Only yesterday, we were approached by a gentleman whose mother had been befriended by a seemingly caring lady, who ultimately defrauded her of a large sum of money.
In summary, the worst case scenario is going to be a proliferation of unskilled individuals working as caregivers, which I am sure is not the aim of this legislation. When people have to have services from an agency, for instance if the care is being paid for by a long-term care insurance company, the costs are going to be much higher and this will impact on the amount of care that they can afford. All this does not add up to a better deal for the client.
For our part, we have looked closely at the training and credentials of our caregivers working in Washington state and intend to comply with the requirements. But we will have to consider carefully taking on any new clients, or caregivers, from Washington state.
These are my views based on my understanding of the legislation, which may be lacking. I welcome constructive feedback.
Firstly, although 75 total hours training is required, only 5 hours have to be completed before a caregiver can be placed with a client (the remainder has to be completed within 120 days). If the aim of this legislation is to protect clients, then it seems to me that caregivers should have much more than 5 hours of basic training before being allowed to work, unsupervised, with their clients.
Training is not available on-line, but has to be done through recognized training centers throughout the state. In our case, this would mean sending our staff about 70 miles for training (from Hood River to Vancouver, the nearest training center), which would probably entail overnight accommodation as well as payment for the training, travel time and mileage. Training centers do not all offer the same courses, so staff may well have to go to different centers to get all the required training.
All this adds up to increased cost of service to clients, since companies will have to pass on the increased cost of employment. Even if agencies decide to employ only certified staff who are exempt from the training requirements, presumably they will demand a higher salary than a non-certified employee, and again, this will all equate to a higher cost for the client.
For some agencies all of this may be just too much, and they may decide to pull out of Washington altogether.
In the meantime, private, individual caregivers remain exempt from any of this legislation. They can charge a lot less than an agency (the client often does not realize that he or she is responsible for employment taxes, insurance etc just like any other employer), and they are unregulated. There are a lot of very good, private caregivers out there; but there are also people who are unscrupulous and see working with the elderly as an easy way to make some money. Only yesterday, we were approached by a gentleman whose mother had been befriended by a seemingly caring lady, who ultimately defrauded her of a large sum of money.
In summary, the worst case scenario is going to be a proliferation of unskilled individuals working as caregivers, which I am sure is not the aim of this legislation. When people have to have services from an agency, for instance if the care is being paid for by a long-term care insurance company, the costs are going to be much higher and this will impact on the amount of care that they can afford. All this does not add up to a better deal for the client.
For our part, we have looked closely at the training and credentials of our caregivers working in Washington state and intend to comply with the requirements. But we will have to consider carefully taking on any new clients, or caregivers, from Washington state.
These are my views based on my understanding of the legislation, which may be lacking. I welcome constructive feedback.
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