The curricula consist of three one-hour in-service training sessions for Certified Nursing Assistants and Home Health Aides. The goal is to support the development of knowledge and skills in working with patients with dementia by focusing on:
- What is Dementia?
- Common Behaviors and Behavioral Triggers Associated with Dementia: What You Need to Know
- Responding to Behavioral Symptoms of Dementia
This curriculum consists of six one-hour in-service training sessions for facility-based Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) in California. The goal is to help CNAs provide better care for residents in long-term care facilities, by achieving the following objectives:
- To develop core competencies of communications and problem-solving skills for CNAs, and provide them with concrete tools to respond to resident’s needs and preferences.
- To assist CNAs and their employers to comply with 2009 state surveyor interpretive guidelines from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for “resident-centered” practices.
- To help to address key areas of residents’ concern, as suggested by resident complaint surveys and further refined by resident and staff interviews.
"Care at the End of Life" is a series of three modules that are specifically designed for use in a long-term care setting and can be delivered in 15-20 minute sessions for a total of one CEU. Together, the three modules prepare staff to cope more effectively and confidently with supporting residents and their families as time of death nears. The three modules are available in both instructor-led and web-based format.
The University of Southern California has a long and proud tradition of leadership in both pharmacy and gerontology. As a major goal of its educational program, the USC School of Pharmacy focuses on the unique medication-related needs of older adults providing direct patient care, consultant pharmacist services, and developing education programs and curricula for health professionals, direct care workers, and consumers. The Fall Prevention Center of Excellence (FPCE), headquartered at the USC Andrus Gerontology Center is devoted to improving the lives of older persons, using a multidisciplinary approach, by identifying best practices in fall prevention, increasing awareness through education, and service provider training. Pills & Spills, an interactive in-service series directed toward certified nursing assistants and home health aides, combines the experience and expertise of both organizations and seeks to reduce the risk of falls in nursing homes as well as home environments.
Through developing skills, tools, tips and practice time, this training series hopes to enhance the communication skills of DCWs with family members, thereby increasing everyone’s satisfaction and comfort level. These four one-hour modules include practice scenarios, video clips, activity worksheets, and detailed directions for trainers. Sessions include:
- Building a Sense of Mutual Respect and Trust with Family Members
- Explaining Your Role to Family Members and Clarifying Expectations
- Understanding and Responding to Emotional Reactions of Family Members
- Understanding and Responding to Family Members When They are Angry
These two one-hour training modules describe what pain is and how to know when a resident is in pain. Studies have shown that 60% to 70% of nursing home residents have significant pain and it is often not identified or adequately relieved. This module will help direct care workers identify the signs of pain and learn how to assess and report pain in older adults. Participants will be introduced to pain assessment tools and to non-drug approaches to helping residents who are in pain.
The curricula consist of two one-hour in-service training sessions for Certified Nursing Assistants and Home Health Aides. The goal is to support the development of knowledge and skills in working with patients with dementia by focusing on:
- Identifying and Assessing Pain in Your Residents
- What You Can Do to Help a Resident Who is Experiencing Pain
