Educating dementia staff
Aged care staff who work with dementia patients should receive more education and training about the disease. A research team found the overall mean score for dementia knowledge among a group of 360 health service staff was 80% (24 out of 30).
Aged care staff who work with dementia patients should receive more education and training about the disease, according to Australian researchers.
Using the Alzheimer’s Disease Knowledge Scale (ADKS), an updated version of the older and more widely used Alzheimer’s Disease Knowledge Test, the research team found the overall mean score for dementia knowledge among a group of 360 health service staff was 80% (24 out of 30).
Multivariate regression analysis showed that individuals who had personal (non work related) experience of caring for someone with dementia had a 0.7point higher predicted ADKS score than those without personal experience. Similarly, those who had undergone formal dementia specific training showed a predicted 0.8point higher score than those without such training.
Individuals from professions where they have direct contact with patients (medical, nursing, and allied health) showed significantly higher levels of knowledge than those in supportive roles (administrative, housekeeping, security or transport staff).
“The projected growth in numbers of older people with dementia in acute settings suggests that staff from all levels will come into contact with this group at some stage; therefore appropriate education and training will help in the delivery of quality dementia care,” the researchers claimed.
