Learning non-medical care giving
Instruction on how to properly put on and remove gloves
SMC alum Rosa Mac Donald with her parents-in-law
Practicing gloving techniques
Chiquita "Dr. Chi" Emel in class
With a student
Helping meet an urgent demand
Fall 2025 cohort of Introduction to Working with Older Adults
Public health experts at Johns Hopkins University say America faces a dire shortage of caregivers to meet the in-home health and personal care needs of an aging population. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that in California alone, more than 750,000 new direct care jobs will be added each year through 2034.
Santa Monica College is helping prepare Southern California to meet this urgent demand.
In 2019, the college rolled out Introduction to Working with Older Adults, a semester-long program led by gerontologist Chiquita Emel. This noncredit certificate program, which meets the requirements for State of California Senior Caregiver Training, opens the door to high-demand occupations such as caregiver, companion, resident care provider, direct support professional, and other services for older adults and persons with disabilities.
It also trains family members to help their older loved ones stay safe in their homes, outside the costly assisted-living setting.
Chiquita—or Dr. Chi, as her students call her—holds a PhD and two master’s degrees in gerontology, leadership and health administration. She developed the three sequential core courses in the 12-week gerontology certificate program.
The fall 2025 cohort began October 4 with Health 905: Providing Care to Older Adults. The class meets in half-day sessions on the Bundy Campus over four Saturdays. About 15 enrolled students are currently receiving a comprehensive overview to non-medical caregiving—everything from hygiene skills around bathing, dressing, grooming and toileting assistance to hands-on training in infection prevention, detection of potential elder abuse, and basic steps in emergency response.
The second four-week course, Health 906: Communication with Older Adults, starts November 1. It brings together gerontology theory with applied tools to help caregivers work through communication barriers posed by hearing loss, vision changes, speech impairments and dementia. Students receive training in active listening, empathy, reading non-verbal cues and de-escalation strategies.
The last course, Health 907: Wellness in Older Adults, focuses on holistic approaches to maintaining quality-of-life for older adults. Starting December 6, the students learn about nutrition, menu planning and safe food handling. They’ll absorb the latest research on exercise, mobility, and fall prevention; learn best practices in chronic disease management and palliative care;and gain awareness of ageism and cultural competence around treating older adults with dignity and respect.
The courses, all taught by Chiquita, may be taken as standalones, but are constructed as a three-part series that comes together to lay a solid foundation in non-medical caregiving while following curriculum standards set by the Academy for Gerontology in Higher Education. Students completing the 54-hour program receive the noncredit Certificate of Completion in Introduction to Working with Older Adults.
The gerontology program does not, however, lead to state licensing.
“I always stress to my students that this is a certificate in non-medical caregiving,” Chiquita says.
For people seeking credentials as licensed caregiving professionals, SMC offers the noncredit Certified Nurse Assistant Pre-Certification and the noncredit Home Health Aide Pre-Certification—both of which prepare graduates to sit for a state exam.
Occasionally Chiquita’s gerontology program becomes a springboard to these more advanced 10-week certificates. “It can help students get their feet wet,” she says.
In general, though, Introduction to Working with Older Adults appeals to two niches: About half of those who enroll are looking for entry-level positions as non-medical paid caregiver, usually in a private home setting. The other half come to build up their knowledge-base as unpaid caregivers.
“It’s great for the person wanting to help their mom, who can no longer prepare her own meals,” Chiquita says. “I have a gentleman taking care of his aunt, and I’ve had a few SMC Emeritus students looking after a spouse or other family member.”
A recent grad told Chiquita that, were it not for the gerontology program, she would have reluctantly placed her father in assisted living—even though he is far from requiring total care. “Often people just need a little knowledge to gain confidence,” Chiquita says, “because it can be scary to have the full responsibility of providing care for older adults.”
Chiquita brings abundant hands-on experience to her teaching. Prior to joining SMC’s faculty, she had a long career in various long-term care settings: she owned a licensed residential care facility, managed a comprehensive healthcare program that supports older adults remaining in their homes, and was a Medicare sales manager with Kaiser Permanente.
“Chiquita brings so much enthusiasm and passion to this training program, which is so critical to adequately supporting our growing aging population,” says Scott Silverman, dean of SMC noncredit and external programs. “Seeing students excited to earn this certificate is a natural offshoot of SMC’s support of older adults. As an Age Friendly University, we are committed to supporting adult learners of all ages and committed to seeing older adults thrive in our beloved Emeritus program as a core function of SMC’s mission.”
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West Los Angeles resident Rosa MacDonald, 57, was part of the fall 2024 cohort of Chiquita’s gerontology program.
There's a Certificate for That!
Many other certificates are offered each semester through SMC Noncredit Education. These short-term intensive programs prepare students for employment in bicycle maintenance, sustainability services or customer service. They train student for roles as receptionists, rehabilitation therapy aides, CNAs and HHAs. There’s a certificate in business essentials and an introduction to early care and education. Five noncredit certificates in the Create Space series open doors to art-related trades such as fabric design, engraving, printing, woodworking and 3D manufacturing. For non-native English speakers, the program offers intensive ESL tracks corresponding to career pathways in early childhood education or healthcare.
All are designed to be completed in one semester.
Noncredit classes in the California Community College system are tuition free and open to California residents at least 18 years of age. They don’t impact financial aid, carry no course units and aren’t graded. Through grant support, student materials costs for these programs are often covered. A single-page online registration form begins the application process. Continuing SMC students can register via Corsair Connect. With the exception of F1 student visa holders, all other citizenship statuses, including undocumented, are welcome.
Back in her native Peru, Rosa had been an elementary school teacher. Since immigrating in 2001, she has held several paid caregiver jobs. Last year, she decided to increase her skillset.
“It’s so interesting to me,” she says, “because I was working with seniors, and after taking these classes I was able to see my mistakes—especially with my communication skills.”
Rosa has since completed both the CNA and HHA noncredit pre-certification programs.
“I am collecting certificates,” she says, cheerfully, “because I love to study.”
She’s currently looking for paid employment, but in the meantime she is “practicing what I learned with my mother-in-law, Mary.”
Aside from balance issues related to vertigo, Mary, who is 95, has few physical limitations. “She is very independent,” Rosa says, “but she needs companionship and emotional support because she lost her husband last year.”
Rosa, who is now enrolled in a physical therapy course through SMC, helps with Mary’s PT appointments for her vertigo. She and her husband, Ted, live right next door and take turns looking after mom.
Rosa’s top takeaway from Chiquita’s gerontology classes: “Listen more than you speak.”
“I’m applying what I learned in school with my mother-in-law,” she says. “I’m trying to be more empathetic, to be patient, to listen. And it has really improved our relationship, which is now wonderful.”
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Like Rosa, many of the students in Chiquita’s classes are non-native English speakers. In a move to make the program more accessible, Chiquita is now collaborating with ESL instructor Joan Stein.
“I have ESL students every semester,” Chiquita explains. “They’re some of the brightest students in the class.” (These bilingual students are strongly encouraged to co-enroll in a corresponding advanced ESL noncredit certificate program for Careers in Healthcare.)
Chiquita and Joan plan to link their Canvas course pages, and Joan will tailor her reading, vocabulary-building and presentation exercises to Chiquita’s syllabus filled with dense gerontology texts.
Lately, Chiquita has been reaching out to nursing students. She spoke to SMC nursing instructor Susan Morrison’s class, encouraging the students to enroll in the free gerontology certificate program.
“Unless you guys are planning to work in pediatrics, your patients are going to be older. That’s just the demographics of America now,” she told the nursing students.
Chiquita’s message to everyone: the more you know about gerontology, the better our aging world will be.
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SMC in Focus Volume XI, Issue 6
Fever Dream
A severe childhood illness motivated Jacqueline Cortez to become a nurse, and Santa Monica College helped shape her path. Read Article
Preparing the Next Generation of Caregivers
Tomorrow’s caregivers, both paid and unpaid, are getting an in-depth education in gerontology through SMC’s Introduction to Working with Older Adults noncredit certificate program. Read Article
Rhythm and Ledger
Dancer-actress Naomi Henderson found harmony between art and accounting at SMC. Read Article
Freddie’s World
The beloved SMC watercolor instructor looks back on a career filled with painting, quirky collections and students who feel like friends. Read Article
Bragging Rights
Geography students help develop accurate maps. An English professor’s book a finalist for a prestigious contest. A nursing professor responds to an emergency midair. Read Article
The Wisdom of Age
To celebrate its 50th anniversary, SMC Emeritus launches the “Fifty-over-50” campaign, a compendium of collective wisdom from those who have made significant contributions to this community, and beyond. Read Article