Development of an online training course for direct care dementia workers – An innovative approach to staff training challenges
Presentation (Faculty180)
Saltzman, Barbara S; Steiner, Victoria; Perion, Jennifer; Kinney, Jennifer; Mc Bride, Kimberly R
description
Development of an online training course for direct care dementia workers – an innovative approach to staff training challenges Many care facilities find it challenging to provide direct care workers training opportunities to adopt new dementia care innovations. Some barriers are organizational like lack of time and staff to cover shifts; others are personal like low motivation or personal interest. The purpose of this pilot program was to develop an online training course introducing an innovative multi-sensory intervention to increase engagement among residents with Articulate Rise was used to create four web-based lessons that included reading material, videos, interactive activities, and knowledge checks. The contents were reviewed by experts familiar with course design, gerontology, and education to ensure that they were likely to appeal to a diverse audience. The online approach presented some benefits including flexible scheduling and ease of distribution, but also limitations such as the lack of ability to monitor participant engagement with the material or respond to questions. The process used to create the online course, challenges of developing succinct yet useful training appropriate for a busy staff, and future plans for the course will be discussed. Educators, facility administrators, and care workers will benefit from knowledge gained from the creation of non-traditional ways to deliver training to direct care staff. Objectives (3, 75-word limit) After hearing this presentation, attendees will be able to: • List some barriers to training direct care staff working at elder care facilities • Describe the process of creating an interactive online training course • Discuss potential benefits and limitations of delivering staff training through online courses
