Reports indicate that as many as 21 percent of adults in Hawai'i serve as family caregivers for the elderly, yet many of these individuals have never had formal training. Assistance may soon be available with the help of a new initiative under the Kupuna Education Center at Kapi'olani Community College.

The center served nearly 200 people last year through its family caregiving training and active aging programs, but hopes to expand efforts by offering certified home caregiver training and support to residential care homes with two grants received last month.

The first is a $25,000 grant from the MetLife Foundation, which will help to readjust the curriculum for paraprofessional training, said the center's long-term care coordinator, Dr. Cullen Hayashida.

The center hopes to implement the certified training program as early as November at an affordable cost.

The program includes three levels of certification: the Elder Pal (25 hours of training), Personal Care Assistant (50 hours of training) and Home Care Assistant (100 hours of training).

The center hopes to modify the highest level by increasing training hours to 150 in accordance with state law to enable students to become certified nurse's aides, or CNAs.

"A lot of the curriculum talks to them about how (to) treat an older person, how you talk with them, how (to) talk with the family because the family is going to be involved also," said education coordinator Toni Hathaway, noting that the program focuses on how to approach elders in a kind and respectful way.

Hayashida called the program "groundbreaking" because there is currently no standardized certification level below that of a CNA. He said some people in the community don't require as many of the skills that CNAs have and the lower levels of certification could reduce costs for hired help.

The center hopes the program will appeal to family caregivers as well as others to address the shortage of caregivers and boost the workforce.

Families looking to hire will also be able to know what kind of training a person without a CNA license has received.

Meanwhile, a second grant for $34,020 from the Hawai'i Community Foundation will allow the center to conduct initial training needs assessment of residential care homes in Hawai'i.

"We are finding that we don't have enough nursing homes in Hawai'i," Hayashida said.

A 2006 report by the state Executive Office on Aging showed that there are 28 beds per 1,000 people 65 and older in Hawai'i — the lowest ratio in the nation. The report also indicated that adults 60 and older account for about 18 percent of the state's population — a number that is expected to increase to 25 percent by 2030.

"The question then becomes what can we do to beef up on the training and the capacity and the professionalism of the care home industry," Hayashida said.

The center will attempt to support care home operators and help them increase the quality of care delivered by creating a resource and training center. In addition, operators may receive assistance on running a business, hiring and budgeting.

Based upon the assessment, the center hopes to come up with a three-year plan detailing upgrades for the industry.

Hayashida said the efforts will ultimately benefit everyone in Hawai'i because they will provide assistance to address issues associated with the state's rapidly aging population.