Gerontology / Elder Care Aide

This foundational course equips adult learners with the safety knowledge, practical math skills, health literacy, digital competencies, and professional behaviors required across every elder care setting. Students complete OSHA 10 general industry training and AHA CPR/First Aid certification as embedded requirements, ensuring legal and employer readiness before entering clinical rotations. All content is anchored in real elder care tasks—vital-sign recording, incident documentation, care-plan reading, and professional communication with clients, families, and supervisors.

How the course runs. 7 blocks: Hazard Recognition & OSHA 10 for Elder Care Environments; Bloodborne Pathogens, Infection Control & Personal Protective Equipment; AHA CPR & Basic First Aid Certification; Trade Math & Measurement for Elder Care; Health Literacy: Reading Care Plans, Policies & Safety Data Sheets; Digital Tools: EHR Basics, Secure Communication & Scheduling Software; Career Readiness, Scope of Practice & Professional Identity.

What competent looks like. Demonstrate OSHA 10 general industry safety practices and correctly identify and respond to hazards common in home and facility elder care environments. Perform AHA-standard adult, child, and infant CPR and basic first aid, meeting the skill requirements of the AHA CPR/First Aid credential. Accurately perform trade math calculations including unit conversion, fluid measurement, intake-and-output recording, and vital-sign charting within a 5% error tolerance. Read and interpret care plans, medication lists, Material Safety Data Sheets, and facility policy documents at a functional health-literacy level. Use standard digital tools—electronic health record interfaces, secure messaging platforms, and scheduling software—to document and communicate client information appropriately. Present a professional resume, complete a mock job application, and demonstrate scope-of-practice decision-making consistent with State HHA and State CNA registry requirements.

This course examines the biological, psychological, and social changes of normal aging alongside the pathophysiology, stages, and behavioral symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. Students learn evidence-based, person-centered communication and behavioral strategies required for safe, dignified elder care in home and facility settings. Content maps directly to the HHA competency evaluation, State CNA Registry written and skills exams, and the NCCDP Certified Dementia Practitioner examination domains.

How the course runs. 5 blocks: Normal Aging: Body Systems, Psychosocial Changes, and Lifespan Diversity; Dementia Pathophysiology, Types, and Stages; Person-Centered Communication and Managing Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia; Elder Abuse, Neglect, Exploitation, and Mandatory Reporting; Dementia-Safe Environment: Elopement, Falls, and Sensory Design.

What competent looks like. Distinguish normal age-related changes from pathological changes across major body systems and explain how each affects care planning. Describe the stages, warning signs, and neurological basis of Alzheimer's disease and at least three other common dementias. Apply validated person-centered communication techniques to de-escalate behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) in simulated scenarios. Identify elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation, and demonstrate mandatory reporting procedures within scope of practice. Implement a sensory-appropriate, dementia-friendly environment checklist that reduces fall and elopement risk. Document observed changes in cognitive and functional status using objective, legally defensible language consistent with HHA and CNA charting standards.

Students learn to safely assist older adults with activities of daily living (ADLs) including bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, and feeding, while applying proper body mechanics and assistive-device techniques to prevent injury to both client and aide. Emphasis is placed on preserving client dignity, recognizing changes in functional status, and maintaining strict scope-of-practice boundaries required for HHA and CNA licensure. Lessons map directly to the personal care and mobility skill domains tested on state CNA competency evaluations.

How the course runs. 5 blocks: Body Mechanics, Standard Precautions, and the ADL Framework; Hygiene ADLs: Bathing, Oral Care, Grooming, and Dressing; Toileting, Perineal Care, and Feeding Assistance; Safe Transfers, Repositioning, and Mobility Assistance; Observation, Reporting, and ADL Documentation.

What competent looks like. Demonstrate safe, step-by-step assist techniques for all six core ADLs (bathing, oral care, grooming, dressing, toileting, and feeding) while maintaining client dignity and privacy. Apply correct body mechanics and ergonomic principles during transfers, repositioning, and ambulation to prevent musculoskeletal injury to aide and client. Select and use common mobility aids and adaptive equipment (gait belt, Hoyer lift, slide board, walker, cane, wheelchair) in accordance with the care plan and facility or agency policy. Recognize and promptly report changes in a client's functional status, skin condition, or tolerance of ADL assistance that fall outside aide scope of practice. Document ADL assistance and mobility observations accurately on flow sheets and electronic records in compliance with HHA and CNA regulatory requirements. Identify infection-control and standard-precautions steps embedded in each ADL procedure, consistent with content tested on the state HHA and CNA competency exams.

This course trains elder care aides to provide safe, legally compliant medication reminders within their defined scope of practice, distinguishing reminder tasks from medication administration, which is reserved for licensed personnel. Students learn to recognize common drug categories used by older adults, observe and report side effects, and maintain accurate reminder logs. Emphasis is placed on preventing medication errors, protecting client safety, and communicating with licensed supervisors and family members.

How the course runs. 5 blocks: Scope of Practice: Reminders vs. Administration; Common Medications in Older Adults: Categories, Uses, and Risks; The Safe Medication Reminder Procedure and the Five Rights Check; Documentation, Reporting, and HIPAA Compliance; Recognizing and Responding to Adverse Reactions and Medication Errors.

What competent looks like. Define the aide's legal scope of practice regarding medication reminders versus medication administration, citing the difference between the two roles. Identify at least ten common drug categories prescribed to older adults and state one major side effect or interaction risk for each. Demonstrate a safe, step-by-step medication reminder procedure, including the five rights check relevant to the aide role, with zero critical errors. Complete a medication reminder log accurately and legibly, applying correct abbreviations and documenting any refusals or concerns. Recognize and report signs of adverse drug reactions, medication errors, or client refusal using appropriate chain-of-command communication. Apply HIPAA principles to the handling of client medication information in home and facility settings.

This course equips learners to identify, assess, and reduce fall risks for older adults in home and facility settings using evidence-based strategies. Students apply environmental modification, safe mobility techniques, assistive device use, and post-fall response protocols within their scope of practice as an HHA or CNA. Mapped to CNA Registry competency areas and HHA training standards for safe client care.

How the course runs. 5 blocks: Why Older Adults Fall: Risk Factors and Physiology; Environmental Safety Assessment and Hazard Modification; Safe Mobility, Transfers, and Assistive Device Use; Post-Fall Response: Observation, Reporting, and Documentation; Fall-Prevention Care Planning, Communication, and Scope of Practice.

What competent looks like. Identify intrinsic and extrinsic fall risk factors in an older adult using a standardized screening tool and document findings accurately. Demonstrate correct use of gait belts, assistive devices, and transfer techniques to prevent falls during assisted mobility. Perform a room-by-room home or facility environmental safety assessment and recommend at least five evidence-based hazard modifications. Describe the correct immediate post-fall response, including what to observe, report, and document without moving the client unsafely. Explain the physiological reasons older adults are at elevated fall risk, including effects of medications, sensory changes, and deconditioning. Apply fall-prevention care-plan instructions and communicate changes in a client's fall risk status to the supervising nurse or care coordinator.

This course teaches elder care aides to identify and respond to the nutritional needs of older adults, including age-related changes in digestion, therapeutic diet categories, hydration monitoring, and safe feeding and dysphagia precautions. Students practice portion estimation, food-intake documentation, and oral care in simulated and lab settings. Lessons are mapped to HHA and CNA competency areas covering nutrition, hydration, and resident rights related to food choice.

How the course runs. 5 blocks: Aging and Nutrition: Physiological Changes and Common Deficiencies; Therapeutic Diets, Food Textures, and the Aide's Scope of Practice; Hydration, Malnutrition, and Unintended Weight Loss: Recognition and Reporting; Measuring and Documenting Oral Intake and Fluid Balance; Safe Feeding Assistance, Dysphagia Precautions, and Oral Hygiene.

What competent looks like. Identify at least five age-related physiological changes that affect appetite, digestion, and nutrient absorption in older adults. Recognize and describe common therapeutic diet types ordered in elder care settings and explain the aide's role in supporting—but not prescribing—them. Accurately observe, measure, and document oral food and fluid intake using standard intake forms and percentage-eaten conventions. Demonstrate safe feeding assistance and oral hygiene techniques for residents with and without dysphagia risk, following facility protocol. Identify signs and symptoms of malnutrition, dehydration, and unintended weight loss and report them through the correct chain of communication. Explain the resident's right to food choice and the aide's ethical and legal responsibility to honor preferences within safe dietary parameters.

This course introduces students to the philosophy, principles, and day-to-day aide practices of hospice and palliative care for older adults in home and facility settings. Students learn comfort-focused care, symptom observation, pain and distress recognition, end-of-life personal care, and culturally respectful support for clients and families. Lessons are mapped to State HHA and State CNA competency areas covering end-of-life care, as well as NCCDP dementia-care content on late-stage and comfort care.

How the course runs. 5 blocks: Foundations of Palliative and Hospice Care; Recognizing and Reporting Pain, Distress, and End-of-Life Signs; Comfort-Focused Personal Care Skills; Communicating with Clients and Families at End of Life; Post-Mortem Care, Reporting, and Aide Self-Care.

What competent looks like. Explain the difference between palliative care and hospice care, including eligibility criteria and the interdisciplinary team's roles, in written and verbal form. Demonstrate comfort-focused personal care skills—repositioning, mouth care, skin care, and hygiene—for a client with limited prognosis, meeting facility or agency care-plan standards. Identify and accurately document observable signs of pain, respiratory distress, agitation, and active dying using standardized observational language within scope of practice. Apply culturally sensitive, dignified communication techniques with clients and families facing end-of-life, including active listening and recognizing grief responses. Describe the aide's legal and ethical scope of practice in hospice and palliative settings, including Do Not Resuscitate orders, advance directives, and mandatory reporting obligations. Practice safe post-mortem care procedures and proper notification protocols in accordance with agency policy and state HHA and CNA competency requirements.

Students learn the practical differences between delivering care in a private home versus a licensed care facility, including environmental safety, infection control, documentation systems, and professional conduct in both settings. Lessons build on ADL, mobility, and medication-reminder skills from earlier courses and apply them to real home and institutional workflows. Credential-exam competency areas covered include home health aide duties, CNA facility practice, and safe work environment standards.

How the course runs. 5 blocks: Care Settings Compared: Home Health vs. Skilled Nursing and Assisted Living Facilities; Environmental Safety: Home Assessment and Facility Hazard Identification; Infection Control in Home and Facility Settings; Documentation, Reporting, and HIPAA Compliance in Both Settings; Professional Conduct, Ethics, and Scope of Practice in Home and Facility Roles.

What competent looks like. Identify and correct environmental hazards in a home setting and a simulated facility setting using an established safety checklist. Demonstrate proper infection control procedures—including hand hygiene, PPE selection, and waste disposal—appropriate to both home and facility contexts. Complete standard facility documentation forms (ADL flow sheets, incident reports, shift notes) accurately and within scope of practice. Apply professional conduct standards—including HIPAA-compliant communication, mandatory reporting, and chain-of-command protocols—in home and facility scenarios. Perform a home-entry safety assessment and set up a safe, functional client care environment using standard home health aide procedures. Describe the roles, responsibilities, and legal scope of practice of an HHA and a CNA in each care setting, distinguishing tasks permitted from those that must be referred.

This course prepares elder care aides to communicate professionally and compassionately with clients' family members, legal guardians, and care team members across home and facility settings. Students learn to deliver difficult updates, navigate family conflict, document interactions accurately, and maintain appropriate boundaries within their scope of practice. Lessons align with communication competencies tested on the State CNA and HHA credentials and reinforce the professional conduct standards expected by employers.

How the course runs. 5 blocks: Roles, Scope, and HIPAA Basics in Family Communication; Active Listening and Empathetic Communication Techniques; Delivering Difficult News: Functional Decline, Behavioral Changes, and End-of-Life Updates; Professional Documentation of Family Contacts and Reported Concerns; De-escalation, Conflict Navigation, and Mandatory Reporting in Family Interactions.

What competent looks like. Demonstrate active listening and empathetic verbal communication with family members of elder clients during simulated care conferences and phone updates. Apply professional boundaries by accurately distinguishing information aides may share with families from information that must be referred to the supervising nurse or care coordinator. Document family contacts, reported concerns, and care observations in written progress notes that are accurate, objective, timely, and free of personal opinion. De-escalate emotionally charged conversations with distressed or hostile family members using evidence-based communication techniques without abandoning professional composure. Explain care plan changes, functional decline, and end-of-life transitions to family members using plain language that avoids clinical jargon. Identify mandatory reporting obligations and privacy requirements under HIPAA as they apply to sharing client information with family contacts authorized in the care plan.

Students rotate through supervised clinical placements in assisted living, skilled nursing, and home health settings to apply classroom knowledge directly with older adult clients under licensed clinical supervision. Emphasis is placed on performing personal care, mobility assistance, vital signs, infection control, and professional communication within legal scope of practice. Each rotation is documented, debriefed, and mapped to HHA and CNA competency requirements.

How the course runs. 5 blocks: Clinical Orientation: Facility Protocols, Scope of Practice, and Professional Expectations; Vital Signs and Change-of-Condition Reporting in the Clinical Setting; Personal Care and Mobility Assistance with Real Clients; Infection Control, Incident Documentation, and Emergency Response in Clinical Practice; Clinical Reflection, Documentation Review, and Professional Portfolio Completion.

What competent looks like. Perform all assigned ADL and mobility tasks on real clients safely and within documented scope of practice under licensed supervisor observation. Measure and record vital signs (temperature, pulse, respiration, blood pressure, oxygen saturation) accurately and report abnormal values to the supervising nurse promptly. Demonstrate correct infection-control techniques—hand hygiene, PPE donning/doffing, and waste disposal—in compliance with facility policy and standard precautions on every clinical shift. Complete accurate, legible clinical documentation including care logs, incident notes, and change-of-condition reports using facility-approved formats. Communicate professionally with clients, family members, and interdisciplinary team members, incorporating dignity-preserving language and culturally responsive practice. Identify and respond to at least three categories of client safety events (falls, choking, altered mental status) using correct emergency procedures and chain-of-command reporting.

Students synthesize all prior coursework by developing a comprehensive, individualized care plan for a simulated elder client that addresses ADLs, safety, nutrition, dementia considerations, family communication, and end-of-life preferences. The project culminates in a formal written submission, a professional documentation portfolio, and an oral defense before a faculty panel. This course bridges classroom learning to real-world practice and prepares students for the clinical practicum and credentialing exams.

How the course runs. 4 blocks: Client Profile Analysis and Care-Plan Framework; Full Care Plan Development and Professional Documentation; Integrated Skills Demonstration Lab; Capstone Oral Defense and Program Reflection.

What competent looks like. Develop a complete, individualized elder care plan that integrates safety protocols, ADL support, nutrition, medication reminders, fall prevention, and dementia-care principles for a simulated client scenario. Produce professional-grade care documentation—including progress notes, incident reports, and a care conference summary—that meets Home Health Aide and CNA industry standards for accuracy and legibility. Demonstrate scope-of-practice awareness by identifying at least three tasks in the simulated case that require delegation to or oversight by a licensed nurse, and explain the rationale in writing. Apply dementia-care communication strategies (aligned with CDP competencies) to a family communication plan that addresses behavioral symptoms, caregiver burden, and community resources. Defend care-plan decisions orally before a faculty panel, using evidence from prior coursework and standard elder-care references to justify clinical reasoning. Perform a skills demonstration of CPR/First Aid and at least two ADL-assist techniques during the capstone lab day, meeting AHA and state HHA/CNA competency standards.

Students complete 162 supervised hours at approved elder care worksites—home health agencies, assisted living facilities, or skilled nursing facilities—applying every skill taught in the program under the direct oversight of a licensed clinical preceptor. Performance is evaluated against state HHA and CNA competency standards, NCCDP dementia-care expectations, and AHA safe-response protocols. This externship bridges classroom instruction and independent professional practice.

How the course runs. 4 blocks: Practicum Orientation: Site Protocols, Scope, and Safety Baseline; Supervised Direct Care: ADLs, Mobility, Vital Signs, and Infection Control; Dementia-Specific Care and Communication in Practice; Clinical Portfolio Completion and Preceptor Exit Evaluation.

What competent looks like. Perform all assigned ADL, mobility, and personal care tasks at a safe, professional level as rated by the site preceptor on a standardized employer evaluation rubric. Demonstrate infection control, fall prevention, and emergency response (CPR/first aid) procedures correctly each time an opportunity arises during supervised hours. Provide person-centered dementia care interactions—using validation, redirection, and environmental modification—that meet NCCDP Certified Dementia Practitioner behavioral standards as observed and documented by the preceptor. Communicate accurate, timely shift observations and any changes in client condition to supervising licensed staff in conformance with state HHA and CNA scope-of-practice requirements. Complete a reflective clinical log for every practicum shift that records tasks performed, competencies demonstrated, and professional growth areas, accumulating a portfolio suitable for job applications. Satisfy the minimum supervised-hours requirement established by the state for HHA licensure and CNA registry eligibility.

This course prepares students to sit the State Home Health Aide (HHA) licensure exam, the State CNA Registry competency evaluation, the NCCDP Certified Dementia Practitioner (CDP) exam, and the AHA CPR/First Aid certification by systematically reviewing each credential's tested content areas. Students complete mapped content review, timed practice questions, and full-length mock exams under realistic testing conditions. The course also addresses test-taking strategy, exam logistics, and professional next steps after credentialing.

How the course runs. 4 blocks: HHA and CNA Competency Domain Review; NCCDP Certified Dementia Practitioner Exam Review; AHA CPR and First Aid Skills Review and Competency Check-Off; Full Mock Exams, Test-Taking Strategy, and Exam Logistics.

What competent looks like. Demonstrate mastery of the HHA and CNA competency domains—including personal care, infection control, safety, and residents' rights—at or above the passing standard on timed practice assessments. Accurately recall and apply NCCDP CDP knowledge domains covering dementia disease processes, person-centered care, behavioral approaches, and caregiver communication. Perform AHA-standard CPR on adult, child, and infant manikins and demonstrate first-aid skills for choking, bleeding, and sudden illness at AHA competency check-off level. Apply evidence-based test-taking strategies—including time management, question dissection, and educated elimination—across all four credential formats. Identify each credential's registration process, eligibility requirements, testing logistics, and renewal cycle so as to sit exams promptly and maintain active licensure. Complete a full-length, proctored mock exam for each credential and achieve a passing benchmark score before the first scheduled official exam attempt.