Listen to this note:
The California Department of Aging's CalGrows program offers free online courses to paid and unpaid caregivers to learn new skills, with the possibility of receiving up to $6,000 upon completion.
The course program ends on August 30, so you are invited to register and take advantage of the opportunity to gain valuable experience and skills, said Renita Polk, deputy director of the office of the California Department of Aging, during an information session held by Ethnic Media Services.
Renita Polk explained that the population in the United States is aging, estimating that it will reach 10.8 million people over 60 years of age by 2030, so it is worrying that California has a workforce shortage of up to millions of workers, and to be able to To meet the needs of older people, more caregivers must be trained and prepared.
The California Department of Aging gives the opportunity to prepare with several programs that are taught online with training in different areas. It should be noted that the courses are completely free and available to everyone.
These courses are available in 9 different languages, helping the community to access and prepare regardless of their language of origin; In addition, there are incentives of up to 6 thousand dollars at the time of taking and accrediting the courses.
Among the topics that stand out from this training are: nutrition, diseases neurodegenerative, infections, doctors and communications with consumers, among 25 more courses.
?This translates to thousands of caregivers who have acquired thousands of skills that have a lot of value and knowledge in order to best serve older Californians. We have had 6 thousand caregivers who have participated in the program, we are creating a network that continues to grow of caregivers who feel empowered?, commented Renita Polk.
Polk added that more than two million dollars in incentives have been presented that are tangible, with the purpose of encouraging caregivers to be trained with the necessary knowledge to prevent and act appropriately at any time.
The courses and trainings can be adjusted to each person's schedules, since they are online and will be available until August of this year on the site: https://www.calgrows.org/.
At the end of the training, trainees obtain a completion diploma that serves as experience and proof of accreditation of knowledge.
VJ Periyakoil, director of the Stanford AGE Research Center and director of Palliative Care Education and Training at Stanford University School of Medicine, explained that aging conditions are not a problem for older people, but for ourselves, so we seek to prevent diseases in time.
In this way, he said, a better terrain can be created for the following generations, preventing them from depending on their basic needs on another person at a young age; Added to this, the current population is mostly aging and the costs of caregivers are rising, so many choose to leave a family member in charge, however they are not prepared and put the life of the older adult at risk.
Thus, with this training program we seek to empower and enrich the community of caregivers, designate us by family members and those who have decided to work in this sector.
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