IA Lawmakers Push for All Direct Caregivers to be Licensed

Lawmakers in Iowa are considering legislation - championed by the Iowa chapter of AARP - that would require all direct caregivers in nursing homes to be licensed and meet specific training standards. A Senate committee has already approved the legislation, but a full debate in the Senate still needs to take place.

AARP estimates that the proposed legislation would affect more than 70,000 people, including nursing home workers and in-home caregivers. Caregivers would be required to have a minimum amount of basic training and would be able to specialize in areas such as end-of-life care, mental health, oral care and Alzheimer's disease.

Additional training is believed to increase quality in long-term care settings, and federal reimbursement is increasingly moving toward being quality-based.

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