THE CAREGIVING PROJECT FOR OLDER AMERICANS AND METLIFE FOUNDATION ANNOUNCE COMMUNITY COLLEGE CAREGIVER TRAINING PROGRAM AWARD WINNERS

THE CAREGIVING PROJECT FOR OLDER AMERICANS AND METLIFE FOUNDATION ANNOUNCE COMMUNITY COLLEGE CAREGIVER TRAINING PROGRAM AWARD WINNERS

NEW YORK, July 12, 2007

The Caregiving Project for Older Americans and MetLife Foundation announced today the winners of a nationwide competition among community colleges for development of innovative in-home caregiver training programs. Twelve community colleges, selected from over 75 applicants, will receive up to $25,000 to either establish new home-based caregiver training programs or enhance programs that already exist for professional and family caregivers.

Increasing numbers of people are finding it difficult to obtain affordable, quality in-home care for older adults. The available pool of family caregivers is shrinking, and at the same time, the caregiving profession is experiencing a severe and worsening shortage of paid caregivers. The Community College Caregiver Training Initiative is intended to raise national awareness both of the critical need for caregiver training and of the central role that community colleges can play in providing this training.

The winning community colleges serve a diverse group of students including both urban and rural communities and minority populations. Award recipients include schools in the states of: Arkansas, Kansas, Maryland, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

"Community colleges play a vital role in educating in-home caregivers as our country faces an increasing need for quality, accessible, affordable care," says Dr. Robert N. Butler, president and CEO of the ILC-USA and co-director of The Caregiving Project for Older Americans. "The colleges selected represent the variety of innovative training programs that promise to produce quality in-home caregivers."

Funded by MetLife Foundation, the initiative is housed within The Caregiving Project for Older Americans, a joint collaboration of the International Longevity Center-USA and the Schmieding Center for Senior Health and Education.

"The tremendous response and high quality of the submitted proposals underlies the demand for well-trained home caregivers. The twelve award winners exemplify that community colleges can be a leading force in improving the nation's caregiving workforce," said Sibyl Jacobson, president of MetLife Foundation.

Grantees and Program Descriptions:

Anne Arundel Community College (Arnold, MD) 
In a collaboration between the college's Human Services and Nursing Departments, students will enroll in a home health care certificate program focusing on human service, gerontology and nursing. The program includes an intensive 150-hour hands-on clinical experience.

Arkansas State University Mountain Home (Mountain Home, AR) 
The creation of the Geriatric Home Caregiver Project will enable students to receive five levels of training, including: Elder Pal, Alzheimer's and Dementia Training, Personal Care Assistant, Home Care Assistant and Geriatric Caregiver. The course will be delivered through videoconference technology, allowing the training to reach a large rural community spreading over 100 miles.

Community College of Vermont (Waterbury, VT) 
The training will deliver an evidence-based Person Care Attendant (PCA) curriculum to current and new professional and family caregivers who work with elders and/or adults with disabilities. The course will be delivered at three separate campuses, three times a year.

Gateway Technical College (Kenosha, WI) 
Through the development of standardized modules, training will be highly individualized. Students' prior work experience and goals for career advancement will be factored into the course work. The training will be implemented in work-based environments and the course will be open to both paid and non-paid caregivers.

Houston Community College, Southeast (Houston, TX) 
Expanding on their previously developed nurse aide training program, the Quality Home Caregiving course will be developed to promote skill development, advanced quality of care and opportunities for career advancement. The program will feature two unique courses: the At-Home Caregiver class for family and friends and the Home Care Attendant class for direct-care workers.

Lackawanna College (Scranton, PA) 
The Elder Home Health Care Aide Certificate Program will train professional caregivers during a 5-week intensive course. In addition to the professional training course, offered five times a year, the program will establish a series of abbreviated weekend and evening sessions for family members and friends of older adults.

Neosho County Community College (Chanute, KS) 
Existing nurse aide and home health aide courses will be adapted for on- line delivery, meeting the needs of time and place bound students in rural eastern Kansas. Additionally, The Family Caregiver course will be created and offered on-line and "live" formats, providing on-line support services for family caregivers.

North Central Texas College (Gainesville, TX) 
The creation of a three-tier educational approach will provide enhancement of knowledge for family members serving as home caregivers; specialized skills for non-family home care attendants; and will upgrade proficiencies in gerontology for current health providers.

Peninsula College (Port Angeles, WA) 
The program, which will enhance training for current and prospective works in the home care setting, will serve rural areas in Washington, including five Native American tribes. The curriculum will focus on developing and understanding a client care plan, communication skills, enhanced basic training and dementia training.

Piedmont Virginia Community College (Charlottesville, VA) 
Based on a comprehensive 48-hour curriculum, aspiring home health aides will be able to participate in a noncredit certificate program. Modules, developed by an advisory board of local experts on aging, will include Companion/Light Housekeeping Aide, Personal Care Aide and Administrative Aide.

Portland Community College (Portland, OR) 
The Care Provider Resource Center will be created to deliver caregiving skills classes to family and professional homecare workers. The program, aimed to deliver advanced skills training for caregivers, will also enhance career development and provide additional leadership opportunities to professional homecare workers.

Rogue Community College (Grants Pass, OR) 
The Personal Care Attendant training will provide a non-credit, web-based training specifically geared to homecare workers and family members caring of older relatives. The program will be a collaboration between the community college and Medifecta Healthcare Training, which will use their nationally- recognize curriculum adapted for web-based delivery.

About The Caregiving Project for Older Americans 
The Caregiving Project for Older Americans is an action-oriented collaboration that aims to improve the nation's caregiving workforce through training, the establishment of standards, and the creation of a career ladder. Bolstering support for family caregivers is another major goal of the project. A joint venture of the International Longevity Center-USA (ILC-USA) and the Schmieding Center for Senior Health & Education (SCSHE), the effort combines the talents of a policy research center with a clinical outpatient and health education program. To learn more about the project visit http://www.ilcusa.org/prj/caregiving.htm.