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More Training Products
Training manuals, products, modules and links to other sites that offer high quality educational products and services are continuously added to our site. This page currently offers information under the following main headings.
Training and Educational Manuals
A variety of products created by faculty at the College of Nursing, University of Iowa, are provided here.
- "Gatekeeper Training Manual, Mental Health of the Rural Elderly Outreach Program, Part I Introduction to the Gatekeeper Role."
This manual was developed and used extensively during a mental health services demonstration project funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, the Administration on Aging, and Iowa Department of Human Services between 1986 and 1989. The manual provides information needed to train community "gatekeepers" to identify people in need of mental health services and to make referrals. Developed by Principal Investigator Kathleen C. Buckwalter and her associates, the manual continues to offer key information related to training gatekeepers.
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Training Modules
A number of additional training modules based in best practice that have been developed and taught by Hartford Scholars and Faculty are provided here. Each follows a similar format to those developed and provided in the GMHTS, and includes:
- Statement of Purpose, Objectives and Content Outline
- PowerPoint: Slides with the accompanying lecturer’s script in Notes View is provided. Slides only are offered in PDF format.
- Lecturer’s Script: Narrative to accompany the slides is offered both as a Word document and PDF file.
- Bibliography: References used to develop the module and that are relevant to the topic are provided.
By title, author and description, the additional training modules provided here include the following topics.
Behavioral symptoms, including aggression, are most likely to emerge in a person with dementia during the provision of personal cares like bathing. A combination of stressors, from feeling one’s privacy has been invaded to being too cold, increases the likelihood that person with dementia will “resist,” if not flatly refuse, to bathe. The program emphasizes the importance of understanding the experience from the person’s perspective and adjusting routines to best use the person’s retained abilities
- Deciding “Together:” When to Push, Pause and Pray
Decision-making at the end of life can be complicated – by cognitive impairments that interfere with making “good” decisions AND by family who either want to “protect” their loved one OR who fail to grasp the level of their loved one’s disability. This program looks at family decision-making from the perspectives of values, competence, and independence. Losses associated with dementia, and the important role of early discussion, advanced discussion, decision-making and directives, and the potential value of the “hospice approach” in dementia care are reviewed.
- Lullaby & Goodnight . . . or Not!
Nighttime wakefulness is a common problem for both the person with dementia and the person providing care. Whether at home or in a nursing care facility, inability to sleep at night increases the risk of disrupting daytime routines, keeping others awake at night, and causing stress and fatigue for everyone. This program examines common causes and possible solutions to sleep disturbances among older adults with dementia.
- Flowers, Candles and Table Cloths…Who Would Have Dreamed? Meal-time Management
Problems and challenges during meal times are common among those with dementia. Loss of ability to understand and follow even simple eating routines is often further complicated by overstimulation, resulting in withdrawal and refusal to eat. Common antecedents to meal-time problems are examined and strategies to simplify routines are offered. Research supporting use of soothing stimuli during meals is reviewed.
- “But your father is dead,” She Said. And He Cried: The Role of Validation Therapy in Dementia Care
The misbeliefs and misperceptions that are so common in Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementias are particularly challenging for family and professional caregivers alike. Reality orientation, which guided our practice for years, has now been replaced with “Validation Therapy” (VT). Principles of VT suggest that confronting the “confused” person with “the truth” only adds to their distress and discomfort. This program helps caregivers learn WHY and HOW to use validation principles in communicating and caring for a person with dementia.
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Links to Alternative Sites
A number of excellent educational and training programs are available from diverse vendors and providers. The following list of possible sources of assistance is provided to help you find other resources that may be helpful in either developing high quality geriatric care programs or in training staff to provide care based on best practices.
The Wayne State University Institute of Gerontology has developed a series of training modules on managing difficult behaviors in persons with dementia. Each of the six training modules consists of a Microsoft PowerPoint slide show Word documents. Modules may be obtained at no cost by filling out an online application form.
A number of affordable products and publications are available through the Alzheimer's Disease Education & Referral Center (ADEAR), which is a service of the National Institute on Aging.
The National Institute on Aging (NIA) offers a wide variety of free publications related to diverse aspects of aging. For example, the “Age Page” series covers an array of topics ranging from incontinence, to “what to do about the flu” to health care quackery. Videos are also available at this site, along with resource directories for older people, and other helpful information.
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