SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development has awarded $6 million in new grants for apprenticeship programs. One of the firms receiving money provides at-home care for seniors suffering from dementia.
Home Instead Senior Care, with offices all over the state, including Hamilton and Somers Point, received $700,000 from NJDOL through its Growing Apprenticeship in Nontraditional Sectors (GAINS) program, to train more than 60 additional employees as dementia care specialists.
Home Instead training director Chris Capobianco says employees were asked what they needed in order to be better at their jobs and to meet growing demand.
“Overwhelmingly, people came back and said we need more education in Alzheimer’s and dementia,” he said. “The goal and objective is to help our clients to live independently for as long as they can at home.”
Capobianco points to data that shows those suffering from dementia do better at home where they’re comfortable, rather than in a nursing home. He says that’s why adding to the workforce is vital.
“Greater than 80% of seniors want to age in place, and aging in place is, many times, the home that they called for decades.”
The state’s grant program allows companies like Home Instead to get assistance with paying up to 50% of apprenticeship salaries at a minimum of $17/hour, barring justification for a lower rate.
“Apprenticeship programs provide vital paths to successful careers, without requiring a four-year college degree,” said Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo, “and strengthen the state's economy by helping businesses meet the demand for skilled workers and workers meet the requirements for family-sustaining careers.”