Training & Support
All our carers are kind, generous and compassionate, of course. And, through our dedication to learning and development, we can ensure that we have the best-trained carers too.
Elevation Training: The Pinnacle of Excellence
Elevation Training are providers of specialist training in the area of healthcare, with particular expertise in supporting learners returning to education. We concentrate on assisting learners to achieve their educational and occupational goals in a supportive and encouraging environment.
High-Quality Homecare Training
It all begins with Elevation Training, a Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) accredited training centre. This is where every single carer for Comfort Keepers undergoes a rigorous, step-by-step introductory training programme.
The training team are industry experts made up of some of our most experienced staff as well as fully qualified tutors.
The course consists of several core QQI modules and internal non-accredited workshops. The welfare of Comfort Keepers’ clients is paramount and so parts of the course relate to:
- Health and safety
- Moving and handling
- Specialised training related to a client’s specific conditions
Carers learn how Comfort Keepers’ policies, procedures and values play out in real-life situations. This happens using a simulated environment.
During a Comfort Keepers employee’s training, our homecare team develops skills in personal care. These include washing, dressing and personal hygiene as well as an understanding all activities of daily living.
Some clients may need manual assistance to move. Others may need the aid of a hoist and pulley. Whatever the requirement, it’s vital that members of Comfort Keepers’ homecare team know how to help in a way that’s safe for everyone.
We take a detailed approach to this part of the training programme. We spend sufficient time to ensure the carers have the confidence and expertise to handle clients comfortably and securely.
A Diversity of Clients
Comfort Keepers’ clients have a broad spectrum of needs. We, therefore, have in-depth modules to cover issues from intellectual disability to palliative care and dementia.
On top of this, all carers have to complete the QQI Level 5 Care Skills and Care of the Older Person modules.
These two essential components of the introductory training course substantially expand the carers’ knowledge base. They arm the homecare teams with the skill set and expertise needed to work under supervision or independently in all homecare environments.
By the end of their training, the carers will have covered a comprehensive range of topics that includes:
- The activities of daily living
- The range of specific needs of a client
- Skill for assisting clients and the correct use of equipment in healthcare settings
- Practice in assisting a client with dressing, grooming, eating and drinking
- The concept of the ageing process
- The best practices in the provision of individualised holistic care
- How to meet the full range of clients’ needs in a variety of care settings
- How to improve the quality of life of the older person.
- Support for people with a disability
- Support for those with long-term illness and conditions
- How to improve the quality of life for those with Dementia and Alzheimer’s
Continuous Learning and Development
Comfort Keepers has a set of core values at its heart. These are professionalism, caring, continuous improvement and quality. We, therefore, don’t see training as a box-ticking exercise but as something cyclical that builds professional competence.
For us, high-calibre learning and development are a constant process requiring a substantial input of time, effort and resources.
There are huge paybacks for clients and carers alike. Our clients have a guarantee that they’re in the hands of highly-trained professionals. Our carers feel valued because of the investment in training we allocate to them.
Our carers have to repeat their introductory training every 6 months. This ensures that they’re right up to date with any new industry developments. It allows us to incorporate continuous feedback from our clients and carers to create fresh and highly relevant elements within our courses.
We also have an online learning platform for our staff called, “Learn Upon.” This resource is free and available at the click of a mouse to all staff.
It offers a wealth of additional courses that our carers can dip into in order to pick up extra skills at a time that suits them. These courses are the creation of a team of industry-wide specialists.