Evaluating a National Person-Centered Training Program to Strengthen the Dementia Care Workforce

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating two different training approaches to improve dementia care in assisted living communities. The study compares the essentiALZ online training program alone and the same training combined with Project ECHO, a virtual tele-mentoring support model, against a waitlist control group. The goal is to see how well each method works to increase staff knowledge and improve attitudes, care practices, and wellbeing for staff, residents with dementia, and their families over six months. Participants in the study are assigned to one of three groups: one receives the essentiALZ training, which is a three-hour self-paced online course covering dementia care topics divided into five modules; another gets the same training plus access to six weekly one-hour Project ECHO group sessions via Zoom; and the last group continues with usual care without additional training during the study. Staff are encouraged to complete the online course within four weeks, and ECHO sessions reinforce the training content and maintenance. During the study, staff complete questionnaires and interviews at the start, after training, and at three and six months. Family members of residents also participate in interviews at baseline, three months, and six months. Researchers assess changes in dementia care competence, staff experiences, attitudes, burnout, and intentions to leave their jobs. The study follows participants for about eight months, including six months post-intervention, to monitor outcomes and gather data that will guide future dementia care training programs.

Evaluating a National Person-Centered Training Program to Strengthen the Dementia Care Workforce