The essentiALZ training and certification educates professional care workers on current evidence-based, person-centered practices to care for individuals living with dementia. This training was developed with evidence (PDF) from the Alzheimer's Association Dementia Care Practice Recommendations, which are based on a comprehensive review of current evidence, best practice and expert opinion to better define quality care across all care settings and throughout the disease course. The California GROWS (CalGrows) program provides this training for free to the first 350 qualified participants who redeem an enrollment code and complete the training and certification.

Register for Training

Who is this training for?

This training is for individual professional care workers in community-based care settings — such as home care, hospice, assisted living and adult day care — in California. This training program and certification is not designed for group learning and is intended for learners 18 years of age or older.

To qualify for incentive pay from the CalGrows grant, individual direct care workers must meet four criteria:

  • You must live in California. 
  • You must be a paid direct care worker. 
  • You must be paid by an employer.  
  • You must have been employed as a direct care worker for the last 60 days.

Providers from nursing homes and skilled nursing care are not eligible for this opportunity.

This training is being offered at no cost in English and Spanish.

Not a California care worker? Consider purchasing Alzheimer's Association essentiALZ Training and Certification — pricing begins at $59.99 per learner with volume pricing discounts (PDF) for purchases of 100 or more. With the purchase of the training program, learners are eligible for certification in essentiALZ for two years and may claim continuing education credits. Create an account to purchase essentiALZ.

Program benefits

The essentiALZ training program and certification offers an all-in-one opportunity for new and experienced professional care workers. Program benefits include:

  • Convenient learning through a self-paced, three-hour curriculum.

  • Practical training based on the gold standard for quality care.

  • Recognition of knowledge through essentiALZ certification and continuing education credit​ (PDF).

This comprehensive training program covers five topic areas including the basics of Alzheimer’s and dementia, person-centered care, assessment and care planning, activities of daily living, and communication changes and dementia-related behavior. Get more details on each topic area​ (PDF).

Incentive pay

Eligible direct care workers may receive incentive pay through the CalGrows grant upon completion of the training and a passing grade on the exam. Those who do not complete the exam with a passing grade will not be eligible to receive incentive pay for their participation.

How to get started

Step 1: Register and complete the essentiALZ training

Get access to one dementia care training program, a certification exam and continuing education credit for yourself. After you create an account, you must redeem an enrollment code to access the training.

Register for Training

Step 2: Get certified and claim continuing education credit

Upon completing the training and passing the exam, you will be certified for two years in Alzheimer’s Association essentiALZ, which demonstrates knowledge of quality care dementia practices. You may be eligible to receive compensation for your time by the CalGrows grant.

Step 3: Complete an optional survey

This optional survey serves as a way to determine eligibility for incentive pay and to tell us what type of professionals are participating in the essentiALZ CalGrows program. This comprehensive understanding is crucial for enhancing the CalGrows program, identifying potential future opportunities, and shaping policymaking and funding decisions for similar initiatives in California. These efforts aim to better support the direct care workforce.

Take the Survey

Questions? We're here to help.

If you have additional questions about the training or need support, please contact us at calgrows@alz.org. 

Read the CalGrows FAQ for more information about incentive pay and submit your claim online. If you have questions about your incentive pay, please contact CalGrows directly at 855.916.4091 or help@calgrows.org.


The Alzheimer's Association is one of 76 organizations across California that received a grant through the CalGrows Innovation Fund earlier this year. Grants were awarded to diverse organizations with innovative ideas to offer training and incentives for the direct care Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) workforce and unpaid family and friend caregivers.