Greater Illinois Chapter news - July - Dec 2006

 

New chapter office opens in Joliet

Community leaders, volunteers and well-wishers joined Greater Illinois Chapter staff and members of the chapter's board of directors on October 12 to cut the ribbon for the Chapter's new office in Joliet. Pictured are (from left): Cindy Marsden, senior office manager; Sen. A. J. Wilhelmi (District 43); Melanie Adams, program manager; Stephen C. Mack, chair of the board of directors; Kent Barnheiser, chapter president and CEO; Leann Favero, manager, special events; Rachael Ferro, office manager; Larry Walsh, Will County Executive; Don Marsden. From this office, we provide information, programming, resources and support for residents in Grundy, Iroquois, Kankakee and Will Counties. The office is at 1150 Essington Rd., Suite 109, Joliet, IL 60435. The phone number is 815.744.0804.

Staff announcements

Daniel Kuhn, MSW, director of the Professional Training Institute, has been named Associate Editor of Alzheimer's Care Quarterly, a peer-reviewed journal that provides information on dementia care practices. Dan, who has been on the publication's editorial board since its inception in 1999, will guest edit a special issue in 2007 on "Quality of Life."

Jonathan Lackland, recently joined our staff as director of public policy and works from our office in Springfield. Most recently, Jonathan was senior administrative director for legislative services for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) were he shepherded the successful passage of legislation in Illinois and three other states. He was midwest regional director for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, worked the Illinois Department of Human Services, and as grant coordinator for Macon County (IL) and as housing and rural development specialist for the Rural Community Assistance Program, an affiliate of USDA Rural Development.

Two grants support professional training

The Chapter's Professional Training Institute received two grants aimed at improving the knowledge and skill of professionals who care for people with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

When Sen. William Haine (District 56) of Alton earmarked $1 million in the state budget this spring, the Illinois Department of Public Health authorized a one-year grant for the four Association chapters serving Illinois to educate and train staff of adult day centers enrolled in Illinois' Community Care Program.

Our Chapter has programmatic and fiscal oversight for the project and we are working closely with the Central Illinois, Greater Iowa and St. Louis Chapters. There are two main parts to the project:

• Scholarships for 440 staff of adult day centers to attend chapter conferences and seminars.
• Two train-the-trainer programs (the "Illinois Dementia Care Train-the-Trainer" and the "Best Friends™ Approach to Alzheimer's Care").

2 - Develop Train-the-Trainer Program for Special Care Unit Staff

We will use $25,000 in grant funding from the Illinois Council on Long Term Care Foundation to develop interactive modules for a train-the-trainer program for staff that work in nursing homes with dementia Special Care Units (SCUs).

Illinois law now requires all SCU staff to obtain 12 hours of continuing education annually. After we develop and test the curriculum, we will roll it out statewide.

New online training for professionals!

Web-based training is a new and increasingly popular tool, and we now offer several online training opportunities for staff caring for people with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

• CARES: A Dementia Caregiving Approach consists of 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. For a description of the modules, group pricing plans and a free demo, visit http://www.caresprogram.com/
• Learning Academy Online Training educates administrative, healthcare, activities, and social service staff on different aspects of dementia care. Eight self-paced modules are now available and will add more modules soon. The fee is $20 per module and Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are included. For details and to register, visit http://www.alzceu.org/
• Dementia Care Training for Team Leaders provides guidance for those who supervise others involved in the care of people with dementia: nurses, unit coordinators, administrators, activity directors or others in leadership positions. Teamwork and supervision are core elements of this one-hour program. This course costs $25 per person and volume discounts are available. For a free demo and to register, visit https://www5.myvlp.com/landing/alz/index.php?client_id=3759