Certified nursing assistants' perspectives of the CARES® activities of daily living dementia care program

Abstract

Background: There has been a proliferation of online training programs for nursing home direct care staff related to dementia care, yet little is known about the effectiveness of the training. Some evidence exists that online training is effective in addressing problem behaviors of nursing home residents with dementia by enhancing self-efficacy, improving attitudes, and increasing knowledge of nursing home staff.

Study aim: The current study aim was to evaluate the implementation of an online training program consisting of ten, one-hour modules which applies the CARES® concepts and learning framework to activities of daily living (ADL) care for persons with dementia.

Methods: Responses from Likert-type items, and open-ended questions were analyzed in a sample of 48 certified nursing assistants (CNAs) from 10 nursing homes in six states (ME, MT, ND, WI, MN, MO) that were part of a National Institute of Aging funded intervention study (Grant #AG026210).

Results: The mixed-method study findings indicated that CNAs gained a better understanding, more knowledge, and more confidence in caring for persons with dementia. Recommendations were made regarding training length and technical issues, and some questioned the practicality of providing person-centered care when resident assignment was very high. CNAs expressed satisfaction with the online training, found it easy to use, and many said they would recommend the training. CARES® ADL Dementia Care online training appears to be a viable way of helping CNAs address the personal care needs of long-term care residents. Future CARES® ADL Dementia Care program research should include more racially diverse CNAs.

Keywords: CARES®; Certified nursing assistants; Nursing homes; Online dementia care training.