Senior woman with nurse at home

A new guide and training program from PHI National could help home care providers elevate the role of caregivers and retain staff. The guide is designed to help home and community-based services providers implement a care integration senior aide (CISA) program which allows caregivers to train for advanced roles within agencies.

“This role is designed to be accessible to newer and more experienced home care workers,” Emily Dieppa, PHI National’s vice president of workforce innovations told McKnight’s Home Care Daily Pulse. “While there are qualities that can make a candidate particularly strong, it’s important to note we emphasize an open recruitment and hiring process that’s open to all home care workers who meet the minimum qualifications for the role.”

CISAs observe, record and report on changes in a patient’s medical and behavioral health, as well social determinants of health, such as social connections, resource scarcity and structural barriers in the home.

“The CISA will perform at least one in-home visit and subsequent visits will be at the direction of care team members and the CISA supervisor,” Dieppa said. “CISAs will stay in contact with home care workers (presumably via phone calls) to provide continued coaching and support as needed.” 

Integrated home care models have shown great potential in pilots, according to PHI National. For example, a program led a few years ago by the California Long-Term Care Education Center found that training and care integration in home settings improved caregiver recruitment and retention, while also reducing the number of rehospitalizations and emergency department visits. 

PHI National created and tested an advanced role for home care workers in 2015- 2016 called the Care Connections Senior Aide. Home health aides received 240 hours of training in key topics and were elevated to salaried aide positions. 

Jobs that provide advancement to home care workers could be a critical element in attracting new workers to the industry.  The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the nation will need to create approximately 600,000 new home care jobs every year for the next decade to care for approximately 72 million aging baby boomers. 

PHI produced the guide as part of a funding partnership with the National Fund for Workforce Solutions and the New York City Workforce Funders Collaborative.