Training and Evaluation
In 2006, CAC launched the Training Research Institute (TRI), with the support of the Administration on Aging. Training is mandated in long term care, but very little research exists to tell us which trainings are effective in improving quality of life and quality of care. TRI was formed to tackle this problem. Our aim is to see whether a given training, be it in family caregiving or clinical care, improves quality of life and quality of care. In the long run, we aim to improve the skills of the caregiving workforce, and help the field better direct their training dollars.
TRI evaluations are funded by grants or contracts. If you are interested in collaborating with CAC on evaluating a training, please contact Assoc. Director Tom Fritsch at 414.229.2729. The following are examples of our TRI projects.
Dementia Care Specialist Training Evaluation
Under the auspices of the Training Research Institute, an initiative of the UWM Center on Age and Community, Dr. Chris Biga has been working with the three chapters of the Wisconsin Alzheimer's Association to develop an evaluation protocol for the Dementia Care Specialist (DCS) training program. The DCS is a 15-hour training curriculum designed for nursing home and assistant living staff who provide direct care for residents with dementia. Using practice-based exercises, interactive activities, media and dialogue focusing on understanding the effects of dementia on the individual, participants learn skills necessary to ensure person-centered care. The goal of DCS is to improve the quality of dementia care provided by long-term care facilities, by increasing knowledge and skills of paid caregivers working in nursing homes and assisted living centers.
The evaluation will be used to assess changes in the professional caregiver's knowledge of Alzheimer's and dementia, the caregiver-receiver relationship (role relationship, communication, and environment), caregiver job satisfaction and other structural variables. Beginning in April, the study will include surveying participants at three different times: before participation in the training, immediately after participation and three months later. Project contact: cbiga@uwm.edu.
TimeSlips Storytelling Training Evaluation
With support from the Commonwealth Fund, CAC both established a national training system for TimeSlips creative storytelling method and tested the impact of the method. Dr. Rhonda Montgomery designed a study to see if TimeSlips could improve the quality and quanitity of interactions between staff and residents with dementia in nursing home settings. Basting and Montgomery worked with 20 nursing homes. The 10 designated as test sites received 10 weeks of TimeSlips training (once per week for one hour). The 10 control sites received no training until after the study was complete. 10 nursing homes were in Milwaukee and 10 were in the Greensboro area of North Carolina. All homes were matched for size, percentage of Medicaid patients, and non-profit or for-profit status. A team of student researchers gave surveys to staff in a pre-test, and then followed the TimeSlips training with 3 days of observations of a unit on which TimeSlips was in place. Results suggest that TimeSlips does increase the quality and quantity of interactions between staff and residents with dementia. Results are currently being submitted for publication.
Serial Trial Intervention Training Evaluation
Powerful Tools for Caregivers Training Evaluation
With funding obtained through the Hartford Foundation's Geriatric Social Work Faculty Scholars Program, Dr. Marie Savundranayagam, working through the Office of Applied Gerontology, is conducting a study to evaluate the impact that the "Powerful Tools for Caregivers" curriculum has on caregiver's lives. The PTC program is a six-week psycho educational program that is widely available to caregivers throughout the country. The PTC program teaches a variety of coping strategies such as managing emotions, communicating effectively and self-care.
Dr. Savundranaygam's study, which is called "Learning from You", is a two year project that will gather information from caregivers who participate in the Powerful Tools program, to learn more about the ways that the program helps caregivers in their every day lives. Members of the League of Experienced Family Caregivers (LEFC) will also be given the opportunity to participate in this study by sharing their day-to-day experiences of caregiving. For more information please contact Marie Savundranayagam at maries@uwm.edu or 414.229.6034.
Collaborative Culture Change Project Evaluation
With funding from two local foundations, this collaborative project between a local nursing home and UWM aims to implement culture change and redesign the long-term care services for older adults based on a person-centered, social model of care. Christine Kovach, Professor of Nursing and CAC Scholar, is serving as Education and Evaluation Consultant for the project. Addie Johnson, doctoral student in the Department of Architecture and Certificate in Applied Gerontology Program, is employed on the project 30 hours per week as a "Change Agent." While the goal of culture change for this organization applies to all older residents, the main focus of this consulting project is on the care of older adults with advanced dementia. As part of the project research evaluation component, Kovach aims to:
- Longitudinally assess changes in characteristics of the nursing home, staff and family satisfaction as it undergoes a process of rganizational culture change and
- Describe and compare personality characteristics of professional and paraprofessional nursing staff working in dementia and medical skilled nursing units in three nursing homes.
Consulting on Training Design: Dancing HeartDanceworks Collaboration
CAC's Tom Fritsch is consulting with Milwaukee's DanceWorks on evaluating the impact of their programs for people with dementia. Stay tuned for results...
Consulting on Training Evaluation: Danceworks
CAC is working with Minneapolis-based Kairos Dance Theatre to develop and evaluate their new training program. This project is supported by the Helen Bader Foundation.
Consulting on Training Design and Evaluation: Early Memory Loss Programs
Elder Financial Abuse Project
Working with a grant from the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, former CAC Associate Director Maria Ledger spearheaded this project from its inception in 04/05 through her departure in February of 06. Interim Associate Director Lorna Dilley took over the reins from Maria, and continues to direct the project today. In the spring of 06, Dilley solidified the mission of the project. In the fall of 06, the project joined with docUWM, coordinated by Jenny Plevin, and acquired a new set of filmmakers. Working with elder financial fraud experts, the CAC and docUWM will team to create a short dvd that can be used to train police officers about the seriousness of this crime and the protocol for handling reports of fraud. Finding and maintaining example cases has proved to be quite challenging, but progress has been made and filming is set to take place summer 2007.
