Proper caregiver training is essential for delivering safe, quality care to clients. It is also a tool for retaining employees, combating burnout and empowering caregivers in their roles.
That said, only 43.8% of home-based care staff and 55% of home health and hospice staff feel prepared to care for new clients, according to the 2024 Activated Insights Benchmarking Report. As a possible result, the annual care staff turnover rate has climbed 14% in the last two years to almost 80%.
Organizations demonstrating a commitment to continuing education improve employee satisfaction by allowing caregivers to hone their skills and grow in their careers. Investing in employees’ long-term success will impart a sense of purpose and possibility within a role known for turnover and burnout.
Empowering caregivers with professional development opportunities translates to better patient care, while continuous learning boosts caregiver confidence, competence and overall sense of achievement.
However, according to the report, while establishing a clear career path is one of the top strategies for retaining long-term employees, only 39.9% of providers have one.
“Helping that caregiver feel supported and knowing what they need to do when they get to that client’s home the first time is so important,” Carla Zak, director of organizational learning at Right at Home, said during an Activated Insights webinar.
Founded in 1995, Right at Home is a franchise that offers home care to seniors and adults with disabilities. It is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, with over 700 independently operated locations in the U.S. and five other countries.
Investing in professional training gives caregivers the confidence to care for patients and boosts client trust. According to the report, caregiver’ abilities ranked at the top in terms of customer satisfaction for 2024. Those who train their staff to provide patient-centered care are seeing the highest employee and customer satisfaction levels in years.
“It’s not just learning the content, it’s being able to share stories,” Zak said. “Caregivers live in an isolated world. They go to a client’s home; sometimes, it’s just them and the client. So, to have the ability to interact with other caregivers and talk about what’s working or not working provides not only the training they need, but the support they probably don’t even realize they need.”
Currently, 83.1% of organizations offer specialty training, with 96.4% offering dementia training to tailor to the industry’s growing needs.
Quality training boosts ROI
In-person training from a professional vendor is the most expensive employee acquisition method, costing approximately $470 per caregiver. However, the benchmarking report said it generates the highest caregiver revenue, at roughly $17,071.
While 61.6% of providers bill solely based on the length of visits, only 29% bill for a combination of visit duration and skill level. This provides most home care organizations the opportunity for additional revenue growth based on training and empowering employees.
“The average home-based care provider offers five hours of orientation and eight hours of ongoing training,” the report read. “Those who offer at least eight orientation hours and 12 hours of ongoing training see an increase of $1,103,291 in revenue. However, while establishing a clear path is one of the top strategies to retaining long-term employees, only 39% of providers have one.”
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