Vivid Life Academy

Training in the basics and beyond

At Vivid Life Academy, our training provides a solid foundation with the basics, but it doesn’t stop there. As caregivers, we take the courses necessary to obtain and maintain state certification, as well as more in-depth education in key topics, such as memory care, communication, nutrition, condition-specific care (such as for hypertension), and how to build a supportive and encouraging environment that promotes dignity and a high quality of life.  In addition, caregivers are trained in cooperative business ownership and management, empowering us to care for ourselves so that we can better support others. Our team is made up of caregiver-owners, individuals who have taken their commitment to the caregiving profession to the next level. 

State-Required Training: Vivid Life Home Care takes state caregiver regulations seriously and requires all caregivers to meet the necessary qualifications for certification. To support this, we provide hands-on and online training developed by PHI that satisfies state of California legislation. As a foundation, each caregiver receives eight hours of introductory training and at least five hours of annual continuing education to maintain certification. These courses cover essential topics such as:

• Orientation about the caregiver’s role and terms of employment.
• Safety training, including basic safety precautions, emergency procedures, and infection control.
• Clients’ rights and safety.
• How to provide for and respond to a client’s daily living needs.
• How to report, prevent, and detect abuse and neglect.
• How to assist a client with personal hygiene and other home care services.
• How to safely transport a client, if needed.

Comprehensive Curriculum: The training we as  caregivers receive in order to obtain and maintain their state certification is necessary and important, but it’s not enough to provide the quality of care Vivid Life Home Care expects.

That’s why Vivid Life Academy works with highly respected partners – including PHI, a nationally recognized leader in direct care training and professional advancement, and the Alzheimer’s Association of Los Angeles – to provide more in-depth training in all aspects of client needs. These organizations bring decades of experience and expertise in home care research and training to help us as caregiver-owners raise our standard of care.

Through interactive, hands-on online and in-person instruction, we continue to build our knowledge and skills in how to holistically support our clients, including:

• Building an effective care/service plan. This is a collaborative process that engages our clients, relevant family members, and us as caregivers to identify needs and clarify expectations based on the unique personality and wants of the person receiving care.
• Qualities of a good caregiver. This covers the knowledge, skills, and attitude characteristics (such as empathy and respect) that can help a caregiver be effective.
• Holistic care. This includes consideration for feelings and health, focus on the whole person rather than symptoms or problems, and respect for the client’s home.
• Stroke care. This includes identifying risk factors, basic prevention techniques, and how to respond in an emergency.
• Alzheimer’s and dementia care. This includes information about warning signs of Alzheimer’s and dementia, basic information about medication, characteristics of those living with various stages of the diseases, and best care practices. We als receive more in-depth training in caring for those with Alzheimer’s and related dementias from Alzheimer’s Association of Los Angeles. See below for additional information.
• Cultural and linguistic competence. This includes how to be an active listener, the importance of body language in communication, and sensitivity to culture.
• Nutrition. This covers safe food handling and storage, budget creation and management, and shopping for food and household items.

The industry-leading training we receive from these organizations also includes infection control, body mechanics and transferring, ADL toileting and dressing, ADL bathing, ADL ambulating and making the bed, CPR/first aid, mental illness and abuse, the fundamentals of green cleaning and other environmentally conscious practices, and more. Our comprehensive curriculum ensures that we have the resources we need to provide care in multiple areas of our clients’ lives: physical, mental, and emotional. But we don’t stop there.

Alzheimer’s and Other Dementias: The Alzheimer’s Association reports that millions of people in America are living with Alzheimer’s and related dementias. For people living with these diseases, life can be confusing, frustrating, and scary, and their caregivers need special training to assist them with their needs.

Vivid Life Academy has partnered with Alzheimer’s Los Angeles to receive 16 hours of high-level and targeted instruction, including fundamentals of Alzheimer’s and related dementias, how to manage the behavioral symptoms of dementia, compassionate communication for people with memory loss, and care manager training. 

We take a tiered approach that matches disease progression – early-stage, mid- to moderate- stage, and advanced/late-stage – to ensure that we’re providing the right level of care for our clients living with these diseases. Especially in the early- to mid-stages, our training focuses on mitigating 14 modifiable risk factors to promote a brain-healthy environment and highlight preventive action.  

We’re committed to providing compassionate, patient, and respectful support to those in our care living with Alzheimer’s and dementia. 

Caregiver as a Key Member of Your Care Team: Think of your favorite athletes or actors. They face physical, mental, and emotional challenges every day. They work hard to overcome these obstacles to achieve their goals, but they don’t do it alone. They have coaches, teammates, and trainers who work alongside them, providing encouragement and motivation.

Every day we all face physical, mental, and emotional challenges. And, according to research, a caregiver who helps to create a supportive environment can better support a person’s independence and well-being. This, in turn, fosters fulfillment and purpose, honoring individuals’ inherent dignity and self-esteem. This is a different way of looking at caregiving, and one that supports Vivid Life Home Care’s mission of elevating home care for clients and ourselves as their caregivers.

Vivid Life Academy uses the Domino World approach and guidance to provide the training we need to be care team members, coaches, and cheerleaders. This training includes effective communication, incorporating inspiration into care, and setting and meeting milestones. We want to help the individuals we support to receive the home care that they need to live their best lives and achieve what they want to achieve, whether they are a senior who wants to maintain physical mobility and cognitive sharpness or anyone else seeking care.

Business Essentials: At Vivid Life Home Care, we believe that a cooperative work environment that provides dignity, voice, and respect enables us as caregiver-owners to provide better care for our clients. That’s why Vivid Life Academy includes comprehensive training in cooperative business essentials, including:

• Cooperative governance. This includes the role of a caregiver-owner, participation in democratic co-op governance, and implementation.
  Business finance management. This includes developing and managing budgets, review of key revenue and expense drivers, creating realistic goals and spending plans, and consistent record keeping.
• Sales and marketing fundamentals. This includes how to pitch to potential clients, information on key marketing concepts, and target market identification and outreach.
• The home care client journey. This includes the stages of client onboarding, identifying their own role within the client journey, and how to add value.
• Communication and conflict fundamentals. This includes challenges and advantages to conflict, identification of different communication styles, and conflict transformation.
• DEI and anti-oppression. This covers how to recognize situations of oppression, injustice, or prejudice, both from inside the co-op and from clients, and how to safely address issues that arise.

These ongoing business courses are designed to help us as caregiver-owners build a strong, successful business – one with structures and policies that incorporate our rights, such as fair wages and time off, and ensure that those who are creating the cooperative’s profits are able to share in those profits. We believe that valuing both care and caregivers empowers us to provide the kind of home care services that we would want for ourselves and our families.