FY2009 Home-Visit Care Department Training

Topics
“Risk Management for Care Providers”
Instructor: Yuji Tada (Care Manager)

“Personal Care”
Instructor: Kazue Ishii (Certified Care Worker and Care Manager)

The Home-Visit Care Department held an in-house training session on October 17, covering two topics.
The first was a lecture on risk management for care providers, and the second was a practical session on personal care.

The session ran from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. and was attended by 29 people. Despite the rainy weather, it was a lively session, with staff from the Care Management Department and administration joining their colleagues from the Home-Visit Care Department.
We began with a lecture on risk management for care providers.

The instructor was Yuji Tada, manager of the Care Management Department and a care manager. He explained specific examples of accidents in home-visit care.

One example involved a helper who disinfected a service user’s bleeding knee. The wound later became infected, and the family sought damages. In this case, the helper and the provider were held responsible for failing to arrange medical attention. Another example involved a heavier service user who fell while being helped to move, with the helper held responsible for inadequate safety precautions.

The key message was not simply to blame staff for mistakes, but to understand why they happened and make improvements. The importance of reporting near misses was also emphasized.
(This lecture also served as a report on the Care Service Provider Support Workshop that care manager Tada attended on October 15.)

At the end of the lecture, we learned some simple exercises for lower back pain. Everyone joined in, creating a friendly, relaxed atmosphere.

We then moved on to the practical personal care session.

Led by Kazue Ishii, a certified care worker and care manager, participants learned how to change diapers, transfer someone from a bed to a wheelchair, and reposition a person in bed.
The session was full of practical ideas, including how to use plastic bags to help reposition someone in bed.

Participants practiced techniques that help both service users and helpers feel safe, including how to position a service user’s center of gravity during movement. They also learned how to provide verbal guidance and the importance of respecting a service user’s wish to move independently and encouraging their motivation.

The practical exercises emphasized the perspective of the person receiving care—for example, beginning with a reassuring hand on the shoulder and speaking to them to ease tension before proceeding with hands-on assistance.

Home helpers who attended shared comments such as “It was useful,”
“It helped me review how to assist with diaper changes,”
and “It is important to help service users feel relaxed.”

Home-visit care training sessions are held every three months.

The next session will be held next year.

This training was valuable not only for improving caregiving skills, but also for providing an opportunity to revisit risk management as a key responsibility of our organization.