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Free Online Family Caregiver Courses and Training

5 Best Free Online Caregiver Courses and Trainings for 2024

4 minute readLast updated February 28, 2024
fact checkedon February 28, 2024
Written by Anna Nichols, senior living writer

Are you learning as you go as a family caregiver? If you’re like most people, the answer is probably yes. In the United States, 76% of senior caregivers say they aren’t prepared to be the primary caregiver for their aging loved one. This leaves many caregivers feeling overwhelmed or taken off guard by their caregiving duties. But when caregivers look for free online training, there are so many options vying for attention. To simplify the process, we’ve compiled a list of the five best free online caregiving training resources for 2024.

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1. Family Caregiver Alliance (FCA): Caregiver College video series

The FCA’s Caregiver College video series is made up of short, easy-to-understand practical tips, such as how to help move an elderly person with limited mobility.

Through its National Center on Caregiving, the FCA offers access to more than 40 free recorded webinars for caregivers about a wide variety of topic, plus weekly online events and activities for caregivers and their loved ones. Their resources are also available in Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.

You can sign up on CareNav to access all of the FCA’s free resources.

2. mmLearn.org’s training video library

Initially created to provide caregiver training for professional caregivers, mmLearn.org has a library of over 300 training videos that are now available to anyone.

These videos offer practical advice on how to help care for seniors, featuring topics such as nutrition, household safety, depression, memory loss, and common medical conditions in the elderly. They also include informational videos from elder law attorneys, physicians, therapists, and other professionals.

mmLearn.org’s training video library features hundreds of videos covering nutrition, household safety, memory loss, and much more.

3. Caregiver Action Network’s video resources

The Caregiver Video Resourse Center from the Caregiver Action Network covers common and rare diseases in the elderly, including Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, COPD, and tardive dyskinesia.

While they’re not practical training courses, these videos feature family members and other caregivers discussing their experience caring for a loved one with the conditions listed above.

4. Caregiving courses from Alison

Alison is an online learning platform with courses in caregiving and aging.

The Caregiving Skills – Dementia Care course includes information about the different kinds of dementia, how to recognize symptoms, and how to care effectively for a loved one with dementia. Another excellent course is How to Take a Person-Centered Approach to Adult Care.

These free courses include a certificate at the end, but if you’re wanting to become a professional caregiver, make sure your future employers accept a certificate from Alison before continuing. If you’re a family member who wants to learn more about aging and caregiving, Alison’s free certificate courses are a great way to learn some skills at your own pace.

Let our care assessment guide you

Our free tool provides options, advice, and next steps based on your unique situation.

5. CareAcademy’s Essential Skills for Family Caregivers on Udemy

Available on Udemy, CareAcademy’s Essential Skills for Family Caregivers is a 30-minute series of short videos that cover basic caregiving skills, like handwashing, getting a loved one in and out of bed, and how to help with mealtime. Like all the courses on this list, it’s free.

Essential Skills for Family Caregivers is a short, to-the-point course with practical daily skills for the family caregiver.

When to look for senior living

Being a senior caregiver is hard work. According to A Place for Mom’s 2023 Caregiver Survey, which looked at data from over 1,000 senior caregivers, 96% of caregivers feel overwhelmed or burned out from their caregiving duties.[01]

While learning practical skills can help, there will be a time when your loved one needs more help than you can give. Assisted livingmemory care, and skilled nursing facilities provide professional, specialized care for your loved one.

If you need help deciding when it’s time for assisted living or other senior living options, reach out to A Place for Mom’s Senior Living Advisors. They’ll give you expert advice at no cost to you or your family.

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Meet the Author
Anna Nichols, senior living writer

Anna Nichols is a content specialist at A Place for Mom, primarily focusing on nursing homes and caregiver support. Her work has involved researching senior-friendly activities in cities across the U.S., as well as reporting on the challenges of long-distance caregiving. Anna holds a degree in English and education plus a master's degree in theology.

The information contained on this page is for informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute medical, legal or financial advice or create a professional relationship between A Place for Mom and the reader. Always seek the advice of your health care provider, attorney or financial advisor with respect to any particular matter, and do not act or refrain from acting on the basis of anything you have read on this site. Links to third-party websites are only for the convenience of the reader; A Place for Mom does not endorse the contents of the third-party sites.

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