Sharing knowledge with nursing home staff: an objective investigation

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Speech and Language Therapy
• Healthcare Staff Training

Background:

• Nursing home staff frequently encounter residents with swallowing (dysphagia) and communication disorders.
• Existing staff knowledge regarding these complex conditions may be suboptimal.
• Effective management requires specialized understanding and skills.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the baseline knowledge of nursing home staff regarding swallowing and communication disorders.
• To evaluate the impact of targeted training delivered by speech and language therapists (SLTs) on staff understanding.
• To determine the feasibility and uptake of such training programs in nursing home settings.

Main Methods:

• A prospective study involving 20 nursing homes.
• Delivery of specialized training modules on dysphagia and communication disorders by SLTs.
• Pre- and post-training questionnaires administered to participating nursing home staff.
• Calculation of uptake rates for the training program.

Main Results:

• High training uptake with 91% of eligible nursing homes agreeing to participate.
• 113 staff completed swallowing training and 47 completed communication disorder training.
• A statistically significant improvement in staff knowledge was observed post-training.

Conclusions:

• Speech and language therapist-led training is effective in enhancing nursing home staff knowledge.
• Targeted education can improve the capacity of nursing homes to manage residents with swallowing and communication challenges.
• This intervention demonstrates a scalable model for professional development in aged care settings.