A dementia care training using mobile e-learning with mentoring support for home care workers: a controlled study.

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Nursing Education
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Home care for older adults with dementia presents significant challenges for caregivers.
• There is a critical need for effective training programs to enhance the quality of dementia care provided by home care workers.
• Existing training methods may not adequately address the complex needs of dementia care in home settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a 12-week dementia care training program for home care workers.
• To assess the impact of a blended learning approach, including mobile e-learning and mentoring, on dementia care knowledge, attitude, and competence.
• To determine the sustainability of training effects post-intervention.

Main Methods:

• A controlled study involving 140 home care workers from two agencies in eastern Taiwan.
• Participants were randomly assigned to an intervention group (mobile e-learning, online social networking, mentoring support groups) or a control group (conventional lectures).
• Dementia care knowledge, attitude, and competence were measured using validated scales at baseline, post-intervention, and 12 weeks after the intervention.

Main Results:

• The intervention group demonstrated significant improvements in dementia care knowledge, attitude, and competence compared to the control group.
• These positive effects on knowledge, attitude, and competence were sustained 12 weeks after the completion of the training program.
• Generalized estimating equation analyses confirmed the significant impact of the intervention.

Conclusions:

• A 12-week dementia care training program integrating mobile e-learning, social networking, and mentoring is a feasible and effective approach.
• Mobile e-learning offers a flexible, accessible, and cost-effective platform for training home care workers.
• Nurse educators and policymakers should consider redesigning dementia care training to meet the growing needs of the aging population with dementia.