Comparing Occupational Adaptation-Based and Traditional Training Programs for Dementia Care Teams: An Embedded...

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Healthcare Workforce Development
• Organizational Psychology

Background:

• Growing demand for a dementia-capable workforce necessitates effective knowledge translation.
• Occupational Adaptation (OA) is a framework for active problem-solving and relative mastery.
• Current training often focuses on knowledge dissemination rather than practical application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate if OA-based training improves dementia care teams' relative mastery and team development.
• To compare OA training with a skills-based (SB) program in a continuing care retirement community.
• To identify effective components of OA training for clinical relevance.

Main Methods:

• Embedded mixed-methods study with 28 employees in two randomly assigned 9-week programs.
• Data collected via pre-, mid-, and post-intervention surveys, observations, journals, and interviews.
• Quantitative and qualitative analyses, including cross-cutting analyses of exemplar cases.

Main Results:

• The OA group showed significantly greater improvements in relative mastery and team development (p < .05).
• Qualitative data corroborated quantitative findings, highlighting OA's superior performance.
• OA participants, engaging in real-case analysis and alternating planning with action, reported greater pre-post improvements.

Conclusions:

• OA-based training effectively enhances relative mastery and team development in dementia care.
• Key features of OA training involve active problem-solving and collaborative practice.
• Findings support OA as a model for promoting knowledge translation and collaborative problem-solving in dementia workforce training.