Research Updates Recognizing Care Needs in Assisted Living and the Importance of Staff Attitudes

摘要

This is the second of 2 issues of Alzheimer's Care Today that report findings of a study that evaluated a staff training program to improve dementia care in nursing homes and residential care/assisted living settings. The inclusion of residential care/assisted living settings-so named to clarify that they include all residential settings that are licensed by states at a non-nursing home level to provide at least 2 meals a day, scheduled and unscheduled supportive care, and 24-hour oversight-reflects the fact that these residences have become home to a large number of older adults with dementia. The study examined a range of outcomes from knowledge based on a paper-and-pencil test to reported attitudes related to dementia. Just as a highly educated physician may be a poor clinician if his or her bedside manner is lacking, so too are the attitudes of long-term care staff members important to the quality of care that they provide.