Berkeley, CA – Givers Health, in partnership with the Center for Independent Living (CIL) is announcing the launch of its Training for Caregivers curriculum, offered through the CalGrows workforce training and development program. Registration is now open for courses available to caregivers working with older adults and people with disabilities, helping support Californians on a path to a career in health care.

“CIL is thrilled to partner with Givers Health to not only help our current consumers but our larger community,” said Bob Hand, Interim Executive Director of CIL. “Givers Health’s focus on empowering family caregivers aligns with one of CIL’s core founding beliefs, that people with disabilities deserve the right to live integrated within the community. We look forward to training and supporting paid and unpaid caregivers on emerging needs of our community, such as Disaster Preparedness.”

“We’re excited to be participating in this transformative work to invest in California’s caregivers and help advance California’s Master Plan for Aging,” said Tara English, CEO of Givers Health. ”Our partner, the Center for Independent Living, is a pioneer in the disability rights movement and long-standing advocate of self-direction, a philosophy we share in our work. Together, we’ll provide training that honors the individual preferences and identities of care recipients and caregivers.”

CalGrows seeks to help build individual skill sets, job satisfaction, and growth opportunities, helping further careers and the retention of skilled, experienced caregivers for older adults and people with disabilities. Qualified applicants can also receive up to $6,000 in financial incentives and career pathway development benefits.

Training for Caregivers offers education and training in both English and Spanish, addressing an array of crucial topics that caregivers and care recipients frequently face. These include assistive technologies, planning for emergencies, disability justice, complexities of chronic conditions, customizing care plans, and much more. Givers Health and the Center for Independent Living bring a combined 65+ years of serving family caregivers, older adults, and people with disabilities. Through this partnership, Givers Health and the CIL are excited to share their commitment to supporting and enabling caregivers and the people that they serve with accessibility and technology.

Free training, along with personalized coaching, is available for paid direct care workers, Home and Community-Based Services caregivers, and unpaid family and friend caregivers through the CalGrows website at www.calgrows.org. Courses from Givers Health/The CIL are available online and in-person, along with courses from other training providers, and are searchable by topic, location, language, and incentive.

A total of 76 organizations across California received grants through the CalGrows Innovation Fund earlier this year. Grants were awarded to diverse organizations with innovative ideas to offer training and incentives for the direct care Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) workforce and unpaid family and friend caregivers.
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