Direct Care Worker Training to Respond to the Behavior of Individuals With Dementia

Abstract

Only a handful of online training programs are available for direct care workers (DCWs) to acquire the strategic skills needed to improve dementia care in instances of challenging or inappropriate behavior. Utilizing pre- and post-test data from a convenience sample of 40 DCWs, the present study sought to determine (a) whether DCWs’ knowledge of responding to dementia-related behavior increased following participation in the CARES® Dementia-Related Behavior™ Online Training Program (or CARES® Behavior) and (b) if CARES® Behavior was acceptable and useful. The average number of correct scores on a dementia care knowledge measure was significantly higher among DCWs after viewing the online modules when compared with pre-test scores (p < .01). Descriptive empirical and open-ended data also suggested that the interactive, “real-world” content of CARES® Behavior was feasibly delivered online, acceptable, and may influence how DCWs deliver clinical care to individuals with dementia-related behavior.

Creating objects with 3D printers to stimulate reminiscence in memory loss: A mixed-method feasibility study

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Development and Evaluation of an Elder Abuse Forensic Nurse Examiner e-Learning Curriculum

“…Finally, the high levels of satisfaction with the curriculum content and delivery bode well for its future uptake. Our findings are concordant with a previous study of the effectiveness and acceptability of an e-learning curriculum among direct care providers working with older adults with dementia, as well as studies focused on e-learning among nurses working in other settings ( Almost et al, 2019 ; Gaugler et al, 2016 ; McDonald et al, 2018 ; Voutilainen et al, 2017 ).…”

Capacity building for dementia care in community care services: a mixed methods approach

“…The training needs about dementia care of staff members who are not involved in direct care services but working within care settings are ignored. Previous studies on dementia care training mainly focused on health professionals, direct care workers, and healthcare students [2,5,6,8,14,24]. Given that people with dementia interact with different staff members in the care environment, their reactions and responses would also be influential to care recipients' wellbeing and thus care quality.…”