Certifications For Senior Care Jobs

Senior caregivers working with seniors in their homes and in nursing and assisted living communities may be required to have certifications prior to being employed.  Senior care services involve both companion care and assisting with Activities of Daily Living.

What certifications are available for senior caregivers?

• Nursing Aide Certification


• Home Health Aide Certification


• Personal Care Assistant Certification

Every state requires certification for nursing aides and some states offer the additional certifications for home health aides and personal care assistants which are usually reserved for caregivers who work in senior's homes rather than in nursing and assisted living communities.

What duties are required for certified aides?

• Assisting with Personal Care


• Bathing


• Toileting (includes catheter and colostomy care)


• Feeding (includes feeding tubes and meal preparation)


• Transfers (using a gait belt when required)


• Range-of-motion exercises


• Repositioning to prevent bed sores


• Monitoring vital signs


• Medication monitoring


• Managing care for seniors with memory loss

Certification programs are offered by community colleges, universities, hospitals and nursing homes.  Nursing certification programs cost from $600 to $2,000 and because of the ongoing need for more caregivers, many financial aide programs and scholarships are available, along with employer tuition-reimbursement programs.  Nursing aide students attend a one to two-month program which includes clinical field work.

Many more caregiving skills are learned in these training programs and you can gain further knowledge or test your current nursing aide skills by taking a nursing aide practice test which contains questions asked on the official nursing aide certification exams.  The Department of Health in each state regulates the exams which nursing aides must pass to receive their final certification.  Senior care companies are constantly hiring caregivers with and without certification to meet their ongoing staffing needs as the population ages.