Assessing the Level of Competencies of Caregivers in Elderly Patient Nursing Home Care: Basis For Quality Development Program

The rapid growth of the aging population in the Philippines intensifies demand for competent caregivers and standardized competency assessment systems within elderly nursing home care. This study assessed the competency levels of caregivers in nursing home care for elderly patients as a basis for a Quality Development Program. Using a descriptive-correlational quantitative design, 134 direct-care personnel from licensed nursing homes in Western and Central Visayas, Philippines, were recruited through snowball sampling. A researcher-developed Clinical Competency Assessment Tool (Google Forms), validated by three geriatric-care experts and pilot-tested (n = 26; Cronbach's α = 0.982), measured competency across Skills, Knowledge, and Values domains on a five-point Likert scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Spearman's rho. Overall competency was Very High Competent (Grand Mean = 4.33, SD = 0.6440): Values (M = 4.62), Knowledge (M = 4.28), and Skills (M = 4.08). Spearman's rho confirmed statistically significant positive relationships between all competency domains and training-related variables (rₛ = .207–.249, p < .05), leading to rejection of H₀. Qualitative findings identified behavioral management, chronic disease complexity, communication difficulties, and emotional burden as primary challenges. The CARE-COMPETENCE Plus Program is proposed as a structured, quarterly quality-development initiative aligned with SDG 3.