New Advanced Caregiver Certification Course!

The American Caregiver Association has a new Advanced National Caregiver Certification Course (ANCCC) that will be available very soon for purchase.  Who should take the ANCCC?  Anyone who is interested in learning more about the caregiver profession, or those requiring or wanting to be certified as a caregiver are welcome to take the course.   

The ANCCC course is equivalent to 83 hours of in-class instruction per ACA guidelines, but like to the NCCC course it is a self-study course that can be completed on your schedule and at your pace.  Let us point out however, that t
he advanced course is a more comprehensive course in that covers all of the topics included in the National Caregiver Certification Course (NCCC), but it goes beyond the NCCC course in that it includes a more detailed look at the topics discussed in the NCCC course. 

In addition, the advanced course introduces several new topics that we believe you will find useful in your daily routine as a caregiver, depending on the level of care of the resident’s you are caring for.  In other words, regardless of whether you are caring for mom or dad, or are employed with an assisted living facility, we strongly encourage you to consider taking the ANCCC course.

The advanced caregiver course can be taken after the NCCC course, or taken by itself in place of the NCCC course.  If you are planning on working as a caregiver, or simply want to advance your knowledge about certain core areas of caregiving you will want to take the ANCCC course. Doing so not only augments your knowledge and skills, but you become nationally certified with the ACA.  

Outside of cost, your ACA certification is probably the most important factor that families look at when searching for a professional caregiver to care for a loved one.  This applies to private duty or temp agency situations and adult care homes, or assisted living facilities as they are often referred to today.  

Finally, keep in mind that your caregiver certification gives families and those you care for peace of mind knowing that you have taken the time to advance your knowledge with the hope of ultimately providing better care as a result.  

Topics covered in the Advanced National Caregiver Certification Course (ANCCC) include the following:
 

1. Components of effective communication

2. Styles and attitudes of communication

3. Barriers to effective communication

    a.) Physical and mental disabilities

    b.) Culture

    c.) Language

4. Levels of care within an assisted living facility

5. Impact of each level of care on residents 

6. Confidentiality (HIPPA)

7. Ethical Principals

8. Resident’s Rights

9. Preventing abuse, neglect and exploitation

10.Mandatory reporting

11.DNR (Do Not Resuscitate)

12.Stress management

13.Time management

14. Developing, using, and maintaining resident service plans

15. Common types of infections

16. Control and prevention of infection

    a.) Washing hands

    b.) Using gloves

    c.) Disposing of sharps and other waste 

17. Basic nutrition

18. Meal planning and posting

19. Menus

20.Procuring, storing and handling food

21.Special diets

22.Emergency planning

23.Medical emergencies

24.Environmental emergencies

25.Fire safety

26.Fire drills and evacuations

27.Home environment

28.Taking vital signs

29.Maintaining a resident’s environment

30.Observing and reporting pain

31.Providing assistance to residents with drains and tubes

32.Recognizing and reporting abnormal changes to your supervisor

33.Applying clean bandages

34.Providing peri-operative care

35.Assisting ambulation of residents including transferring and assistive devices

36.Bathing, caring for skin and dressing

37.Caring for teeth

38.Caring for nails

39.Toileting, caring for perineum, and caring for an ostomy

40.Feeding for hydration, including proper feeding techniques and use of assistive devices in
       feeding

41.Preventing pressure sores

42.Maintaining and treating skin

43.Modifying the caregiver’s behavior in response to resident behavior

44.Understanding the developmental tasks associated with the aging process

45.Responding to resident behavior

46.Promoting resident dignity

47.Providing culturally sensitive care

48.Caring for the dying resident

49.Interacting with the resident family

50. Anticipating and addressing the needs and behaviors of residents with dementia or   
        Alzheimer’s disease

51.Communicating with cognitively impaired resident’s

52.Understanding the behavior of cognitively impaired residents

53.Reducing the effects of cognitive impairment

54.Understanding body mechanics

55.Assisting resident self-care

56.Using assistive devices for transferring, walking, eating, and dressing

57.Assisting with range-of motion exercises

58.Determining whether a resident needs assistance with medication administration and if so,
       the nature of the assistance

59.Assisting a resident to self-administer medication

60.Observing, documenting and reporting changes in resident condition before and after
       medication is administered

61.Knowing the five rights of a resident in medication administration

62.Knowing the classifications of and responses to medication

63.Taking, readings, and implementing physician medication and treatment orders

64.Storing medication properly and securely

65.Documenting medication and treatment services

66.Maintaining records of medication and treatment services

67.Using medication organizers properly

68.Storing and documenting use of narcotic drugs and controlled substances

69.Understanding how metabolism and physical conditions affect medication absorption

70.Knowing the proper administration of all forms of medication

71.Using drug reference guides (PDR)

72.Preventing, identifying, documenting, reporting, and responding to medication errors

If you have questions about the new ANCCC course please do not hesitate to email us at acacaregiver@live.com , or call us at 1-800-625-8108.