Preparing for the Needs of an Aging Population

Many of us will need a homecare aid in our lifetime.  The problem is that it takes way too long to get certified. As Washingtonian’s age we can’t afford to have a shortage of aids.  There is a project at the Department of Health (DOH) to fix that for good.

Tiffany Murphy from Senior Helps explains that we are seeing significant increases in the number of seniors in our state and they are living longer.  Making sure we have enough homecare to meet their needs will be vital.

Thore Fossum is one of those seniors.  He needed an aid after a recent stroke.  Thore explained that Bianca, his caregiver, does a beautiful job of helping him.   Unfortunately, certifying people like Bianca can be very difficult.

Several barriers for someone like Bianca to get certified.   Those caregivers must deal with two entities.  They would have to file a paper application with DOH, and wait for that to be approved.  Then they must get 75 hours of training and apply through another party to take a test.  Then they would need to wait to get approved after testing.   In some cases, it could take more than a year to get certified.

Kiara Julagay, a Senior Helper trainer, explained it is a frustrating process currently.  A new DOH pilot is changing all of that. Senior Helpers partnered with DOH on the pilot.    The pilot allows the aids to complete the entire training within 10 days.   They can then test in the same environment where they are trained.  Currently they have a 100% pass rate for all caregivers that have gone through the pilot.

The early results from the pilot have been a certified success.  For more information about becoming a home care aide click here.