AGING AND DISABILITY SERVICES ADMINISTRATION
July 20, 2004
ADSA: BH # 2004-014
Caregiver Training Requirements for Boarding Homes
Dear Boarding Home Provider:
There have been questions regarding which boarding home employees are required to take caregiver training. The following analysis is provided to assist you in determining if an employee is required to take caregiver training, including basic and/or specialty training.
WAC 388-112-0005 defines “caregiver” as “anyone providing hands-on personal care to another person, including but not limited to cueing, reminding, or supervision of residents, on behalf of an adult family home or boarding home, except volunteers who are directly supervised.”
How this section of the WAC applies to individuals working for your facility depends on the job duties and expectations of the employees and is not specific to the employee’s title. Here are some examples:
- A bus driver or a dietary cook who does not perform duties with regard to resident care, cueing, reminding, or supervision of residents, may not require caregiver training.
- However, a bus driver or cook is considered a caregiver and requires training, if duties include reminding or supervising residents who have dementia or behavior problems to ensure they reach their destination or stay seated on the bus.
- If the bus transports a resident requiring cueing or supervision and a trained caregiver accompanies the resident while the driver merely navigates the bus, that driver would not require the training.
I hope these examples will assist your facility in determining which employees will require caregiver training as per WAC 388-112. If you have further questions, please feel free to contact your RCS Field Manager or Marta Acedo, Office Chief, Training, Communications and Development, Home and Community Services, at (360) 725-2549.
Sincerely,
Patricia K. Lashway, Director
Residential Care Services
