Training Overview Explore Modules

Training Overview
Introduction:
Safe Management
Techniques

What are ADLs and IADLs?

Personal Hygiene

Care of Residents with

Dementia/Mental
Illness/Mental Retardation

Gerontology and Normal

Aging

Assessments and Support

Plans
Welcome to the online training program that will
Nutrition, Food Handling
help you learn the basic skills and information to and Sanitation

become a personal care home direct care staff Recreation, Socialization,

Community Resources,
person. It is important to participate in each Social Services and
Activities in the Community
module because the exam at the end will include Meeting the Care Needs of
questions from each of the modules. You can Residents in a Culturally
Diverse Environment
spend as much time as you like on any of the Safety Management/
Hazard Prevention
modules. You may return to and review any of the
Infection Control
modules at any time.
Care for Individuals with
Mobility Needs
At the end of the training, there will be an online
test. The test will have 50 questions. You will need Take the Test
to score 70 percent or above. In order to score Adobe Reader must be installed
to view/print the certificate of
70 percent, you must get 35 questions correct. completion. If you don't have
Adobe Reader Click here to
You can take the test as many times as you like. download.

Each time you take the test the questions will be

different. Once you pass the test, you will receive
a “certificate of completion” that you will show to
employers. This training must be completed before
you can begin to provide unsupervised activities of
daily living at a personal care home in accordance
with § 2600.65(d)(2) and (d)(3) (relating to direct
care staff person training and orientation).

What is a personal care home?

A personal care home is a place in which food,

shelter and personal assistance or supervision are
provided to individuals who require assistance or
supervision in self-care, called activities of daily
living, or more complicated activities, called
instrumental activities of daily living. In
Pennsylvania, personal care homes provide
assistance with all or some of the following
services: eating, drinking, ambulating,
transferring in and out of a bed or chair, toileting,
bladder and bowel management, personal
hygiene, securing health care, managing health
care, self-administering or administering
medication, proper turning and positioning in a
bed or chair, doing laundry, shopping, securing
and using transportation, managing finances,
using a telephone, making and keeping
appointments, caring for personal possessions,
writing correspondence, engaging in social and
leisure activities, using a prosthetic device and
obtaining and keeping clean, seasonal clothing.
Some personal care homes provide services in
addition to the required services listed above,
such as recreational therapy, special care for
people with dementia or mental health services.

When you begin employment, ask the

administrator (an individual who is in charge of
the home) or an appointed staff member to review
the services provided at the home. It is important
to learn what these are so you can accurately talk
with residents about them.

What are the major responsibilities of

personal care home direct care staff
persons?

Personal care homes have several kinds of

employees. For the home to run smoothly and
residents to receive the best care, each individual
needs to fulfill their responsibilities. When you
begin working, it will be important to get to know
the other workers who make up your shift or
team. Equally important is knowing what your
responsibilities are and carrying them out. Direct
care staff persons are extremely important to the
day-to-day operation of the home and to the
residents themselves. When you are scheduled to
work, the entire team is depending on you to be
there, including the residents who depend on you
for their basic care. Think of it like a car that has a
flat tire. It cannot move smoothly or quickly. When
staff calls off, it slows the whole team down and
often makes it harder to get the job done. Direct
care staff persons are important because they
provide direct care for residents. When you come
to work you can expect to be doing a wide range
of tasks. The facility that hires you will specifically
outline the tasks you are responsible to
accomplish while on your shift.

What is an appropriate term for individuals

who live in a personal care home?

Individuals who live in a personal care home are

called residents. However, when speaking directly
with them it is important to use their proper
name. Some residents may ask that you call them
by their first name. Others may prefer that you
address them by Mr. (last name) or Mrs. (last
name). In order to remain professional, you
should not call residents nicknames such as
“honey” or “pops.”

The regulations for operating personal care

homes:

In Pennsylvania, personal care homes are

regulated by the Department of Human Services
(DHS). Requirements to operate a personal care
home are described in the Chapter 2600
regulations. These regulations are printed in a
book with a cover that is pink so it is sometimes
called the “Pink Book.” The purpose of these
personal care home requirements is to protect the
health, safety and well-being of personal care
home residents. Your administrator works directly
with DHS to make sure the home meets state
regulations. If a personal care home doesn’t follow
the regulations, it may have to stop operating.

The regulations include requirements for staff

qualifications, abuse reporting, resident’s records
confidentiality, resident rights, physical site safety,
fire safety, nutrition and medications as well as
other important safety protections for residents.

If you would like to see a copy of the state

regulations, you can find them online. The website
address is:
http://www.pacode.com/secure/data/055/chapter2600/chap2600toc.html.

What is a support plan?

“Support plans” are your direct line of

communication with other members of the care
team involved in the day-to-day care for residents.
The support plan is the tool that helps you to
understand how to care for each individual
resident who lives in the home. The plan gives
information to the direct care staff on the services
needed by each resident. Think of it as a recipe
card or blueprint for how to care for each resident.
Anyone should be able to pick up a support plan
and know just how to care for the resident. The
support plan will give you a clear picture of the
residents’ needs and preferences. Support plans
are critical to direct care staff persons.

What is the goal of a personal care home?

Personal care homes provide a home for

individuals who need assistance with a variety of
daily care needs. It is the goal of the personal care
home to provide necessary services for individuals
to live as independently as possible. Personal care
home staff must respect and honor the
uniqueness and choices of each resident and allow
individuals to be involved in decisions that impact
their lives. The following general rules should be
followed when working with residents of a
personal care home:

Respect each resident as an individual by calling

him/her by name rather than by disability or
room number.
Ask the resident what he/she wants and needs,
his/her preferences, likes and dislikes.
Know each resident’s health conditions so you
can know how to appropriately encourage
physical and social independence.
Emphasize what the resident likes and can do
rather than his/her deficits or difficulties.
Encourage each resident to be active in his/her
care, both physically and in making decisions.
Acknowledge the resident’s cultural traditions,
memories, experiences and values.
Ask the resident if he/she wants help rather
than just doing it for him/her.
Treat the resident with respect in the tone of
your voice and in your behavior toward him/her.
Provide privacy to each resident when dressing
and bathing; knock and ask before entering a
resident’s bedroom.
Don’t talk to the resident as if he/she was a
child. Speak with respect in an adult manner.

In providing care in a personal care home setting,

it is important to try to help residents to feel
respected and independent. They may not be able
to do everything for themselves, but they can
make decisions about how much others help
them.

Remember to assist residents in living their own

lives by being independent and allowing them to
control as much as they can. Simple choices help
residents maintain control within safe bounds.

Communication is important:

As you have seen through the introduction, “what

you say” and “how you say it” is important to your
success as a direct care staff person. Being able to
comfortably talk with and listen to residents opens
the door to cooperation and positive relationships.
As you proceed through the modules you will find
more communication skills reviewed.

One critical skill that every direct care staff person

needs is the ability to introduce themselves. You
will be doing it many times throughout your
workday, especially in the first few weeks of work.
Here are a few reminders about how to introduce
yourself to a resident.

Use your first and last name. You may wear a

name badge to help residents remember your
name until they become familiar with you.
Call the resident by Mr./Mrs. and their last
name. Residents who want you to use their first
names will tell you their name or nickname.
Avoid using terms like “sweetie” or “dear.”
Residents may be offended by these terms.
Use a relaxed and friendly tone of voice. This
will help relax both you and the resident. A
relaxed tone will increase the resident’s
confidence in your abilities. Keep the volume of
your voice at a regular level unless the resident
is having difficulty hearing you.
Remember that your “body language” will say
more than words. Body language is the physical
clue that we use often without thinking. Some
examples of positive body language are smiling,
a touch, nodding and making eye contact with
the person who is talking. Examples of body
language that express displeasure are frowning,
raising an eyebrow and folding our arms over
our chest. Body language should match what
you are saying. Even people with severe
memory problems who have difficulty
understanding what you say, can still “read”
your body language.
Establish eye contact with the resident. This
means looking at the person to whom you are
talking. Eye contact tells the other person you
are listening and that you mean what you are
saying. Directly face the resident when you
speak and get to his/her level (if they are
sitting, sit down next to them). Keep in mind,
however, that some residents from different
cultural backgrounds may interpret direct eye
contact differently. You will learn more about
this in module #10.
Many older people who have difficulty hearing
rely on “lip-reading” to understand what others
are saying. Never shout; it raises the pitch of
your voice. Many older people lose the ability to
hear high-pitched sounds. That is why many
older people tell you they can understand a
man’s voice better than a woman’s voice.
Listening is extremely important. It is often
more important to “zip your lip” and focus on
what the resident is trying to tell you than it is
to speak. It takes older people longer to react
than young people. Give older people plenty of
time to respond to your questions/comments.

Communication is important in all interactions and

it is the bridge to learning what a resident needs
and wants. From introductions to day-to-day
communication, you will establish a relationship
with each resident. Through communication you
can gather information, reassure a resident, build
trust and request assistance.

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