Foundations of Caregiving
Learn the duties, skills and safe habits of a professional caregiver, step by step.
Taught by Zalika Africa Faculty · Updated 30 Sep 2026
What you will learn
- Explain the duties and the limits of a caregiver's role
- Protect a client's dignity, privacy and confidentiality in daily work
- Communicate clearly and kindly with clients and their families
- Use hand hygiene and basic protective equipment to prevent infection
- Support personal care, moving and mealtimes in a safe way
- Notice, record and report changes in a client's health
- Describe the first steps to take in an emergency
Course content
3 modules · 9 lessons · 1h 41m
1. The Caregiver's Role3 lessons
- What a caregiver does, and what a caregiver does not doPreview10m
- Dignity, respect and person-centred care10m
- Communicating with clients and families11m
- Quiz: The Caregiver's Role5 questions
2. Safe Everyday Care3 lessons
- Hand hygiene and infection prevention12m
- Personal care: washing, dressing and mouth care12m
- Moving safely and preventing falls12m
- Quiz: Safe Everyday Care5 questions
3. Health, Safety and Emergencies3 lessons
- Nutrition, fluids and helping someone to eat11m
- Observing, recording and reporting changes11m
- First response in an emergency12m
- Quiz: Health, Safety and Emergencies5 questions
About this course
This course is for anyone who wants to care for older people, people with illness or disability, or family members at home. You do not need any experience. You only need patience, respect for others and a willingness to learn.
You will learn what a caregiver's role is and where its limits are, how to protect a client's dignity, and how to talk with clients and families. You will practise safe everyday care: hand hygiene, washing and dressing, moving people and preventing falls. You will also learn how to help with meals, notice changes in health, and respond calmly in an emergency.
Employers in homes, clinics and care facilities in Kenya and abroad look for caregivers who are reliable, hygienic and professional. This course gives you a strong foundation in those habits. It does not replace practical training, a supervisor's guidance or a certified first-aid course, and it does not promise a job or a visa.
What you need
- A phone, tablet or computer with internet access
- Basic English reading skills
- No previous caregiving experience is needed
Who this is for
- People who want to start work as a caregiver or home helper
- Family members who look after a relative at home
- Care workers who want to refresh the basics
- Anyone preparing for care work in Kenya or abroad
Your certificate
Complete every lesson and pass the assessments with 70% or more to earn a Zalika Africa certificate of completion with a QR code employers can verify online. The certificate costs KES 1,500, paid only once you have finished.
Your instructor
Zalika Africa Faculty
Teaching team, Zalika Africa Institute
Courses from the Zalika Africa Institute teaching team — the trainers behind our on-campus caregiver, home-management and housekeeping programmes in Westlands, Nairobi.
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