HCBS is a transformative approach to healthcare, focusing on delivering tailored services that empower individuals to lead fulfilling lives in their homes and communities.
A home or community-based setting refers to a living arrangement where individuals receive care, support, and services in their own home or in a community setting rather than in an institutional facility like a hospital or nursing home. This setting is designed to promote independence, comfort, and a sense of belonging within a person’s familiar environment.
Benefits of HCBS
The Growing Demand
The current healthcare services fall short in adequately addressing the evolving care needs. As a result, there is an urgent requirement for innovative approaches to recruit, train, and retain a diverse pool of qualified Home and Community Based Services providers. Meeting the challenges posed by these demographic shifts calls for proactive strategies to ensure that the growing demand for care is met with a responsive and well-prepared healthcare workforce.
– By 2030, an estimated one in four Californians will have reached the age of 60 or older, constituting a population of approximately 10.8 million individuals.
– Most Californians in this age group will represent diverse ethnic backgrounds, including Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, American Indian or Alaska Native, or Multiracial. This highlights the crucial necessity for services that are culturally competent and linguistically appropriate.
– Projections indicate that over one million Californians will experience limitations in self-care by 2030, requiring support with tasks such as transportation, cleaning, and bathing.
– Older adults with chronic, complex, or progressive diseases, such as dementia, often express a preference for congregate settings like long-term care or assisted living facilities.
Our Solution
SDSU Center for Excellence in Aging & Longevity (CEAL) was awarded a Caring4Cal grant to recruit, train, and retain a diverse range of eligible HCBS providers to meet the growing demand.
Caring4Cal is an initiative by the California Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) that works to increase access to health services for all Californians through free healthcare training, free personal coaching, and paid incentives for care providers to expand, enhance, and strengthen the HCBS provider workforce across California.
Caring4Cal is for California residents only. Eligibility includes:
– Current licensed or certified eligible providers who work in HCBS including HHS, CNA, LVN, RN, CHW (in home settings only), occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech therapists, respiratory therapists, clinical social workers, dental hygienists, or other licensed HCBS professionals.
– Individuals interested in becoming an HCBS providers are also eligible. This includes In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) providers, prospective or current healthcare workers, and youth and young adults (ages 16-24) who aspire to pursue certification or licensure for roles within HCBS.
For additional information on eligibility, click here.
Our Courses
SDSU CEAL has developed eight 15-hour training tracks designed to empower individuals to become compassionate and proficient caregivers. Our courses provide the essential skills and knowledge needed to excel in providing quality care to older adults in home and community-based settings.
Additional courses are available on the statewide Caring4Cal Course Catalog. Click here to view the full suite of online and in-person training opportunities.