Home care aides.

Senator Limón's proposal to modify California's Home Care Services Consumer Protection Act would require all home care aides to complete specialized training in dementia care. The legislation establishes distinct requirements for affiliated and unaffiliated caregivers to ensure they possess the necessary skills to serve clients with cognitive impairments.

Under the proposed changes, home care organizations must incorporate dementia care instruction into their mandatory annual training programs for affiliated aides. This adds to existing requirements covering client rights, safety protocols, and daily care procedures. For unaffiliated home care aides, the bill institutes a new condition for biennial registration renewal - submission of a signed affidavit confirming completion of dementia care training, which can be fulfilled through online courses.

The measure maintains the current framework of five hours of entry-level training and five hours of annual continuing education for affiliated aides while expanding the core competencies to include dementia-specific care practices. The legislation allows both affiliated and unaffiliated aides to complete the new training requirement through online programs, preserving flexibility in how caregivers fulfill their educational obligations.