CNA Knowledge, Efficacy, and Attitudes Toward Dementia Patients
Location
Guzman 201, Dominican University of California
Start Date
4-20-2017 2:00 PM
End Date
4-20-2017 2:30 PM
Student Type
Undergraduate - Honors
Faculty Mentor(s)
Susan Morris, OTR/L
Presentation Format
Oral Presentation
Abstract/Description
Certified nursing assistants (CNAs) are often the principal caregivers for individuals with dementia in long-term care and skilled nursing facilities (Burke & Orlowski, 2015). CNAs play an involved role in essential regular care for patients with dementia and in supporting patient engagement in daily activities. In recent years, some states have started to establish regulations for CNA training and certification, including dictating the number of training hours required for initial certification, training hours required for renewal of certification, and training curriculum requirements. California regulations require that CNAs working in skilled nursing facilities receive 80 hours of training for initial certification, which includes some dementia-specific education, and eight hours of dementia-specific training every two years for renewal of certification. Dementia-specific training must address techniques for meeting the needs of patients with dementia, techniques for communicating with cognitively impaired patients, discussion of the behaviors of residents with dementia, appropriate responses to those behaviors, and methods to reduce the impact of cognitive impairments on functioning. State-required dementia-specific training is focused on enhancing knowledge about dementia and dementia care, with the goal of promoting informed care. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of standardized dementia training on not only CNA knowledge, but also determining if there is a relationship between higher levels of dementia care-specific knowledge and CNA attitudes towards care and care efficacy. Study participants will be CNAs at a skilled nursing facility in Santa Rosa who receive the mandated eight hours of dementia-specific education every two years. Participants will complete questionnaires that assess knowledge of dementia and dementia-specific care approaches, attitudes towards care, and care efficacy. Analysis of data will look for correlations between level of dementia-specific knowledge and reported care efficacy and attitudes, which may indicate that dementia-specific education can address not only knowledge, but result in improvements in other aspects of care and may reveal areas that could be incorporated in standardized training to enhance the effects of dementia-specific training.
CNA Knowledge, Efficacy, and Attitudes Toward Dementia Patients
Guzman 201, Dominican University of California
Certified nursing assistants (CNAs) are often the principal caregivers for individuals with dementia in long-term care and skilled nursing facilities (Burke & Orlowski, 2015). CNAs play an involved role in essential regular care for patients with dementia and in supporting patient engagement in daily activities. In recent years, some states have started to establish regulations for CNA training and certification, including dictating the number of training hours required for initial certification, training hours required for renewal of certification, and training curriculum requirements. California regulations require that CNAs working in skilled nursing facilities receive 80 hours of training for initial certification, which includes some dementia-specific education, and eight hours of dementia-specific training every two years for renewal of certification. Dementia-specific training must address techniques for meeting the needs of patients with dementia, techniques for communicating with cognitively impaired patients, discussion of the behaviors of residents with dementia, appropriate responses to those behaviors, and methods to reduce the impact of cognitive impairments on functioning. State-required dementia-specific training is focused on enhancing knowledge about dementia and dementia care, with the goal of promoting informed care. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of standardized dementia training on not only CNA knowledge, but also determining if there is a relationship between higher levels of dementia care-specific knowledge and CNA attitudes towards care and care efficacy. Study participants will be CNAs at a skilled nursing facility in Santa Rosa who receive the mandated eight hours of dementia-specific education every two years. Participants will complete questionnaires that assess knowledge of dementia and dementia-specific care approaches, attitudes towards care, and care efficacy. Analysis of data will look for correlations between level of dementia-specific knowledge and reported care efficacy and attitudes, which may indicate that dementia-specific education can address not only knowledge, but result in improvements in other aspects of care and may reveal areas that could be incorporated in standardized training to enhance the effects of dementia-specific training.