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About professional training
Professional Training is devoted to helping professionals improve their knowledge and skills, build stronger teams and deliver quality care to people with dementia and their families. Training and education programs are geared to professionals working in both community-based and residential care settings.Our programs and trainings have been attended by a variety of professionals including: physicians, administrators, nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists, social workers, adult day service providers, activity staff, direct care providers, and staff trainers.
Certificates of completion or CEU certificates are available for every program. We are approved for CEU by:
· CDHS for Nursing Home Administrators (NHAP)
· BRN for Registered Nurses, Licensed Vocational Nurses, Certified Nursing Assistant
· DSS for Residential Care Facilities Administrators (RCFE)
· BBS for Marriage and Family Therapist, Licensed Clinical Social Worker
In-person training programs
Foundations of Dementia CareThis comprehensive training program is designed to help you improve the quality of care for residents with dementia in assisted living residences and nursing homes. It is based on the latest evidence in dementia care research and the experience of care experts. We can design a training program that meets the needs of your staff and facility. Click here to view the details of the Foundations of Dementia Care program.
Training Modules
There are 5 modules with 12 sessions (one hour each) that will help your direct care staff and supervisors make better connections to residents with dementia, resulting in a better quality of life for both your residents and staff. Modules include:
· About Dementia
· Enhancing Mealtimes
· Learning to Lead
· Making Connections
· Promoting Restraint-Free Care
· Reducing Pain
· Reducing Risk of Falls
· Understanding Wandering
· End of Life Care
Follow Up Mentoring
We offer flexible options, including post-training support to help your staff apply the class information in their work setting. Dementia experts will provide assistance through verbal coaching and modeling techniques.
For more information contact Veronica.Ramirez@alz.org or (323) 930-6280.
Activity Based Alzheimer Care
This 7 hour CEU program is designed for healthcare professionals in any care setting who work with people who have dementia. Activities are the foundation nof care: every event, encounter or exchange is an activity. The scope of activities are limitless and includes every interaction with staff members, volunteers, relatives and other individuals; not only scheduled events provided by activity staff. This class will teach you how to design, implement and evaluate a comprehensive program of activity-based care to engage people with dementia in more enriching and meaningful ways. Through six modules, participants learn a range of skills including::
· Assessment
· Program design
· Teamwork
· Evaluation strategies.
The program features interactive exercises, case studies, and discussion. Participants receive a manual, lunch, and certificate of completion.
For more information contact Veronica.Ramirez@alz.org or (323) 930-6280.
Dudley and Mary Edelman
Adult Day Services Institute (ADSI)
The Edelman Adult Day Services Institute (ADSI) helps promote the development of fiscally viable, well-attended adult day services with the capacity to provide high quality dementia care for people with dementia and their families. The Institute can provide training, technical assistance and on-site consultation to adult day centers and seeks to raise public awareness of the value of these services and advocates for adult day centers that serve people with dementia and their families.
Edelman Adult Day Line Staff Training
This program assists adult day staff to learn how to implement components of the Habilitation Care Model. This model will assist staff help participants avoid excess disability by:
· respecting participant adult needs
· emphasizing communication techniques
· managing challenging behaviors
· emphasizing meaningful activities and interactions
· creating a positive emotional and physical environment
For more information contact Veronica.Ramirez@alz.org or (323) 930-6280.
Customized On Site Training
Our staff offers training programs on a variety of topics and that can be customized to suit the learning needs of staff in your care setting. For more information about a class that fits your training needs, please contact Veronica.Ramirez@alz.org or (323) 930-6280.
Web-based training programs
Alzheimer’s Association Learning AcademyThis online curriculum makes high quality dementia care training affordable, convenient and accessible to any professional working with the elderly. Eight self-paced modules are available. The fee is $20 per module and topics include:
· Overview of Dementia
· Communication
· Medications for Behavioral Problems
· Managing Difficult Behaviors
· Working With Families
· Elder Abuse Reporting Laws
· Personal Care & Special Needs
· Activities
Ready to learn? Click here to visit the online Learning Academy.
Or, for more information contact Veronica.Ramirez@alz.org or (323) 930-6280.
CARES: A Dementia Caregiving Approach
This affordable Web-based program, developed by the National Association, has six, one-hour training modules that are geared primarily to direct care workers, particularly nursing assistants. Each module uses text and streaming video that illustrate how to best care for people with dementia living in residential care settings. Topics include:
· Meet Clara Jones and Her Care Team
· Introduction to Dementia
· Understanding Residential Behavior as Communication
· Making a Connection with the Resident
· Eating Well
· Recognizing Pain
For a description of the modules, the pricing plans and a free demo, go to http://www.caresprogram.com/
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Professional Recognition
Jim Segel Award for Passion & Commitment to Adult Day ServicesJim Segel helped develop the Adult Day Services Institute Committee at the Alzheimer’s Association. With Jim’s guidance, the committee started 10 new centers and enhanced the ability of numerous existing centers to serve persons with dementia. In honor of his commitment to adult day services, the Adult Day Services Institute developed the only award recognizing exemplary staff at Adult Day Services in Los Angeles County, the Jim Segal Award for Passion and Commitment to Adult Day Services. This award is presented each year to an exemplary employee of an adult day center who shows outstanding service and care for participants with dementia. The top three nominees that are selected are invited to attend the Alzheimer’s Association Volunteer Luncheon. The winner will be recognized and presented an award of $500 and a plaque, as will the adult day center where the employee works.
For more information contact Veronica.Ramirez@alz.org or (323) 930-6280.
2008 California Guideline for
Alzheimer’s Disease Management
This new Guideline updates and expands the 2002 version. This guideline was developed by the California Workgroup on Alzheimer's Disease Management through a collaborative effort of healthcare providers, consumers, academicians, and representatives of professional and volunteer organizations that included a review of scientific evidence supplemented by expert opinion when research has been unavailable or inconsistent.
What is covered in the Guidelines?
· Support for a team approach to quality management of Alzheimer's disease· Importance of an accurate assessment
· Treatment options - including a new class of medication
· Approaches to patient and caregiver education and support
-including evidence that links positive patient outcomes
to caregiver education and support
· Legal Considerations
· New evidence on management of the disease in very early and end stages
One-page summary: Click here to view the one page California Guideline summary reference
One-page summary (National): Click here to view the National Guideline summary reference
Full Report: Click here to download the full report (4MB pdf file)
Continuing Medical Education home study about guideline: See Guideline article in CA January 2009 edition of Action Report - http://www.medbd.ca.gov/publications/newsletter_2009_01.pdf
Provider Checklist for Treating a Confused Elder
This checklist is based in part upon the California Guidelines. It provides treatment information including: History and Physical, Laboratory Tests, Diagnostic Tests, Social and Safety Issues, and Referral to a Social Worker or the Alzheimer’s Association.
Click here to view the checklist.
Replication manuals
Dementia Care Network ModelAddressing the needs of diverse communities has been a longstanding priority for the Alzheimer’s Association. Through a long-term relationship with the California Department on Aging, and generous support from the federal Administration on Aging, we developed an award-winning model to serve diverse communities called the Dementia Care Network. This model program addresses the critical and growing gap for dementia care and services among underserved communities. Through cooperation and collaboration among a variety of service providers, the Dementia Care Network has assisted families by improving access to care and services. Over the past 15 years, this model has succeeded in serving the following communities: Latino, African American, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese in multiple states. The following materials are available to learn more about the model and how to implement the Dementia Care Network:
- Replication Manual
- Quick Start Guide to the Dementia Care Network (coming in August)
- Focus Group Reports from Chinese, Vietnamese and Japanese communities
- Tip Sheets for providers working in Asian and Pacific Islander communities (coming in August)
Establishing Partnerships Between Managed Care and Aging Service Organizations
Healthcare organizations are challenged to care for the growing number of older adults with chronic conditions. Dementing diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, and other associated disorders, present particular challenges because there are strong social and behavioral components to disease management. This creates a challenge for both the physician and families that care for people with dementia. This replication manual is based on the Alzheimer's Association-Kaiser Permanente Metropolitan Los Angeles Dementia Care Project. The project is described with suggestions on how it can be replicated by organizations in the aging services network.
Download the Establishing Partnerships manual (pdf)
Seminars and conferences
None at this time.
