Implementing a new multidisciplinary, remote, dementia staff training program for Veterans affairs nursing homes

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Dementia Care
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Preventing Loss of Independence through Exercise (PLIÉ) is a beneficial group program for individuals with dementia.
• The program integrates movement, body awareness, and social engagement to support daily function.
• Previous findings indicate PLIÉ offers physical, emotional, social, and cognitive benefits.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and refine a remote training program for interdisciplinary Veterans Affairs (VA) nursing home staff (Community Living Center [CLC] staff).
• To adapt the PLIÉ program for remote delivery to enhance care for residents with dementia.

Main Methods:

• A pre-implementation study utilized iterative Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles over 10 weeks.
• Remote training was delivered via Microsoft Teams, including live didactic and experiential sessions.
• Weekly feedback surveys informed iterative refinements to the training process.

Main Results:

• 14 interdisciplinary staff members participated, including recreation therapists, social workers, nurses, chaplains, a psychologist, and a speech pathologist.
• Key refinements included video summaries and self-reflection/goal setting, enhancing learning and application.
• Staff use of PLIÉ principles with residents increased from 67% to 89%; 100% of regular attendees were highly satisfied.

Conclusions:

• Remote training for interdisciplinary CLC staff to deliver the PLIÉ program to residents with dementia is feasible.
• PDSA cycles effectively refined the training, leading to improved program uptake by staff.
• Further research is warranted to evaluate resident outcomes and quality of care with this remote training model.