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An evaluation of the CARES® Dementia Basics Program among caregivers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 October 2016

Michelle L. Pleasant ,
Victor Molinari ,
John V. Hobday ,
Sam Fazio ,
Nancy Cullen  and
Kathryn Hyer
Michelle L. Pleasant*
Affiliation:
Florida Policy Exchange Center on Aging/School of Aging Studies, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
Victor Molinari
Affiliation:
Florida Policy Exchange Center on Aging/School of Aging Studies, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
John V. Hobday
Affiliation:
Health Care Interactive, Minnesota, USA
Sam Fazio
Affiliation:
National Office of the Alzheimer's Association, Illinois, USA
Nancy Cullen
Affiliation:
National Office of the Alzheimer's Association, Illinois, USA
Kathryn Hyer
Affiliation:
Florida Policy Exchange Center on Aging/School of Aging Studies, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Michelle L. Pleasant, M.A., Florida Policy Exchange Center on Aging/School of Aging Studies, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA. Phone: 813-974-2414. Email: mlellis@usf.edu.
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Abstract

Background:

In 2014, the state of Oregon established Oregon Care Partners to provide high quality, free training to all dementia caregivers. This study evaluated participants’ changes in knowledge, sense of competency in dementia caregiving, and ability to identify person-centered caregiving techniques after completing CARES® Dementia Basics online program, one of the educational resources available through this initiative.

Methods:

A convenience sample of informal and formal caregivers (N = 51) provided data at three points in time; pre-test, post-test, and a follow-up test after an additional 30-day period to determine sustained changes in knowledge, sense of competency, and person-centered care.

Results:

From pre-test to post-test, modest improvements were detected in sense of competence in performing dementia care (ps < 0.01) and dementia-based knowledge, F(2, 150) = 7.71, p < 0.001, a multivariate effect size of w2 = 0.09. Even though improvements in sense of competency were not universal, three out of five individual items demonstrated positive growth from pre-test to post-test as well as four out of the five items from pre-test to follow-up test. Importantly, gains observed in dementia-based knowledge from pre-test to post-test were largely maintained at the 30-day follow-up. No significant changes were found in the correct identification of person-centered techniques after the training F(5, 150) = 1.63, p = 0.19.

Conclusions:

Future research should investigate how best to maintain educational interventions within the caregiving environment and to assess subsequent skill change.

Keywords

dementiaeducationtrainingcompetency
Type
Research Article
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 29 , Issue 1 , January 2017 , pp. 45 - 56
Copyright
Copyright © International Psychogeriatric Association 2016 

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