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Compare online courses and training for senior care

Secure your financial future with a career caring for the elderly.

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Shirley Liu
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Health care is one of the largest and fastest-growing industries in the US. Facilities and services continue to need caregivers for support and care of the aging population. If you enjoy working with the elderly, look into courses and programs that can help you become a part of the solution for this growing need.

What's in this guide?

  1. Why should I study senior care?
  2. What courses are available for senior care?
  3. What short courses can I take for professional development?
  4. What can I expect to pay in fees or tuition
  5. Where can I study senior care online?
  6. What career opportunities are available for elderly care?

Why should I study senior care?

Working with the elderly can be rewarding, helping you to make a real difference to families who rely on senior care. Training and education can either kick off or further your work into more lucrative positions within this growing field. And work in this field often comes with flexibility to work odd hours to meet just about any lifestyle.

Salaries are as varied as the roles within this field, with positions for all levels of education. For example, entry-level home health aides can start out at about $24,000 a year, with opportunities to earn more with overtime. At the other end are geriatric nurses, who can bring in $150,000 or more.

Many class requirements for elderly care are short and easy to navigate. You could potentially finish the course for home health aides in a year by committing only 10 hours a week.

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What courses are available for senior care?

Many online colleges and universities provide the fundamental background you need to pursue a career in healthcare. Specialized fields of study in elder care can boost your qualifications and responsibilities.

Elderly care and healthcare courses available for online study include:

  • Dementia training
  • Palliative care
  • Management and leadership training
  • Wound management
  • Mental health
  • Allied health

You can earn certifications online for:

  • Basic caregiving certification
  • Certified nursing assistant (CNA)
  • Home health aide (HHA)

Some courses require you to complete on-site training at local colleges or healthcare facilities, so consider the requirements before signing up for a course or program.

What short courses can I take for professional development?

A number of short courses or electives are designed to enhance your skills a worker in elderly care, including those for:

  • Asthma management
  • Emergency anaphylaxis awareness
  • First aid
  • Food safety
  • Medication assistance
  • CPR

Adding these courses could make you a better candidate when looking for a job in senior care or in the healthcare field.

What can I expect to pay in fees or tuition

The costs for courses in senior care depend on your area of study, the facility you’re taking courses from and whether you’re earning a certificate or degree.

To earn licensing as a certified nursing assistance, you can expect to pay between $1,200 and $4,500. To become a home health aide, you could pay $25 a course or $800 for a certification program.

Other training and certification can include:

  • First aid and emergency care — $65 to $105
  • Hospice and end-of-life care — $35 to $150
  • Certifications to care for diabetes, Parkinson’s or dementia — $89 to $109

Where can I study senior care online?

Careers in healthcare and elderly care are in demand, and so lots of universities are making it easy to take courses and earn certifications to work in the field.

Universities offering online courses for elderly care include:

  • Institution for Professional Care Education
  • Hutchinson Community College
  • Manhattan Institute of Allied Medical Training
  • Middlesex Community College

What career opportunities are available for elderly care?

The field comes with a high demand for senior care workers that’s expected to increase in the coming years. With certification, you can choose from:

  • Nursing assistant
  • Care service employee
  • Senior care worker
  • Home care assistant
  • Respite worker for in-home senior care
  • Personal care worker

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