Geriatric Nursing Commons^™

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of A Formal Dementia Care Training Program: Abilities Care Experts™, Carmen Joaquin, Michelle D'Amato, April Perez, Louiza Alexandria Villarina, Sophie E. Miller

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Overview: Abilities Care Experts™ (ACE™) is an educational training program for nursing staff who care for individuals with dementia in skilled nursing facilities (SNF). The objective of the program is to provide the nursing staff with knowledge, and methods to engage residents’ remaining abilities in order to maximize occupational participation using a stage-specific dementia care approach. ACE™ training has yet to be evaluated for effectiveness in a controlled study design.

Objectives: This study sought to evaluate the effectiveness of the ACE™ training.

Design: The study employed a quantitative, cross-sectional, quasi-experimental design.

Participants: A total of 29 CNAs, 13 ACE™ trained …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Abilities Care Approach™ Training, Michelle E. D'Amato, Sophie E. Miller, April Perez, Carmen Joaquin, Louiza Alexandria Villarina

Student Research Posters

Approximately 50% of US nursing home residents have a diagnosis of dementia. Abilities Care Approach® was created by occupational therapists (OTs) to promote quality dementia care for residents in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). Certified nursing assistants (CNAs) are often the primary caregiver for residents with dementia. To ensure carryover of ACA principles, ACE dementia training was targeted towards CNAs. The purpose of this study was to evaluate Abilities Care Experts®(ACE) training program which provides CNAs with an occupation-based dementia care approach by focusing on the importance of occupational engagement and knowledge of dementia stages. Results indicated that ACE trained CNAs …