BUILDING SUSTAINABILITY

Transcription

1 BUILDING SUSTAINABILITY Through Education 1 Karen Constant and Jenny Henderson

2 OUTLINE Deliver a brief background of the Ozcare Dementia Advisory & Support Service Provide an overview of the Education Mapping project undertaken by the Dementia Training Study Centre (DTSC) Discuss outcomes achieved, current use of the education data, and the challenges in maintaining the information Undertake a brief tour of the dementia support website containing the mapping information and evidence based resources Provide a summary of key findings Show some examples of online Professional Development via DTSC website To talk about the need in working together to influence education and training development 2

3 OZCARE Ozcare is a leading not-for-profit organisation, providing a wide range of quality health & human services across Queensland. Aged care facilities through Queensland, from Port Douglas in the far north the Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast. Range of services including Nursing, Mental Health, Allied Health, Community Care and Dementia Services. Range of Community Support services to men, women and children. Ozcare provides Aged and Community Services throughout Queensland with over 3,000 staff and volunteers 3

4 OZCARE DEMENTIA ADVISORY & SUPPORT SERVICE Brief background: Home and Community Care funded by the Australian & Queensland governments for direct client support with face-to-face consultation. Funded to also build on workforce knowledge and skill in responding to the needs of people living with dementia, their carers and families. Service has been operational since 2009 with the website being launched in December State-wide service with dementia advisors based throughout the seven HACC regions throughout Queensland Social work service and Learning & development department 4

5 CORE ELEMENTS Person-centred philosophy supporting dignity, identity & self-worth Acceptance of each individual s journey as a personal process Development and respect of personal strengths Inclusion of an individual s community and society Mutuality in service provision Responsiveness to need, including flexibility and adaptation in approach. Alertness to people s emotional needs as much as their physical needs Giving the person control over their care and the environment around them 5

6 PURPOSE & KEY OBJECTIVES OF PROJECT Determine current gaps in the content and the availability of dementia education and training available to health professionals working in Queensland Increase health professionals and service providers knowledge about the dementia education and training opportunities currently available for access in Queensland; Avoid the unnecessary replication of existing dementia education and training activities by focusing DASS resources on addressing content and geographical gaps identified in the provision of dementia education and training 6

7 OVERVIEW OF MAPPING PROJECT In 2010 Ozcare called for expressions of interest in developing an information map to define the amount and types of dementia education available to Australian residents either by distance mode or online. The objectives of the project were outlined in the previous slide by Karen. The Queensland Dementia Training Study Centre (QLD DTSC) based at QUT Kelvin Grove campus successfully tendered for the project. In August 2010 the project team developed the items for an interactive survey of education providers both in Australia and overseas (English language) and a pilot survey was sent out to a group of domestic providers, seeking feedback on the form. Information received from the pilot group informed the design of the database and its features. 7

8 PROJECT DEVELOPMENT October broadcast sent to 1,726 contacts of the QLD DTSC introducing the project and seeking participants from the dementia education sector. Recipients encouraged to forward the survey to any of their contacts within dementia care or education (snowballing). Responses were categorized by provider type ie tertiary education, vocational education, industry peak bodies, registered training organisation (RTOs) and other. A decision was made to note any good quality, free online resources readily available. While these would not result in obtaining a qualification, they would nevertheless be valuable educational tools. The website features an extensive glossary of terms that assists with understanding academic and educational terminology 8

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10 MAPPING PROJECT In addition the following search engines and sites were used to identify possible participants to the survey Alzheimers Australia websites individual States Individual State TAFE websites Individual University websites Alzheimers United States Alzheimers Canada 10

11 RESULTS Data collected over a period of several months with research assistants following up with providers and answering any questions about the end use of the information. Data collection completed by end April 2011 with some 494 courses offered by 150 providers either by distance, online mode or a blend of the two. Further examination of courses revealed that some were not applicable to the Australian setting or the qualification would not be recognised in Australia. Therefore 165 courses were removed from the data. Several Australian postgraduate university courses were subsequently found to have been dropped as numbers were too low to offer courses. 11

12 RESULTS In May 2011, data was applied to the search engine, resulting in 322 units or programs of study being added. Of these, 115 entries were for single units of study and 207 entries were for programs of study (eg Certificate, Diploma, Masters degree). Australian education providers: Aust tertiary institutions offered 62 postgraduate units or programs; TAFE colleges offered sixty programs of study; 31 courses were offered by peak bodies, 82 courses were offered by RTOs and 30 courses offered by Other domestic providers. Overseas providers: 16 organisations completed the survey, offering a total of 57 courses (mostly from Universities of Bradford, Staffordshire, Stirling and Ulster, Dayspring Dementia Training and Elder World). 12

13 OUTCOMES SPECIAL GROUPS Attention was given to specific Indigenous health training that focuses on dementia care, details were scant. The Centre for Rural Health is a joint initiative of Flinders University and Charles Darwin University. It runs dementia-specific Indigenous Health workshops A valuable resource in the Rural Health Education Foundation which has more 56 education topics available via DVD or online on rural health issues, gerontology and Indigenous health Links to resources about care of Indigenous clients as well as clients from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds (CALD) and clients with Younger Onset Dementia (YOD) at National DTSC website, 13

14 OUTCOMES SPECIAL GROUPS An excellent resource on Indigenous health in general is the Australian Indigenous Health Infonet site hosted by Edith Cowan University. Indigenous Health Worker Training (not specific to dementia care) Diversicare in Queensland consults with care providers and offers training in cultural awareness, similar organisations in other states 14

15 DEMENTIA SUPPORT WEBSITE 15

16 SEARCH DEMENTIA EDUCATION AND TRAINING DATABASE 16

17 CURRENT USE OF THE EDUCATION DATA 500 Education Database Statistics month comparison statistics Page Views Unique Views Avg. Time on PageEntrances Bounce Rate %Exit Mar Aug % 71.66% Sep Feb % 72.15% 17

18 Traffic Sources 6 month comparison statistics Visits Aus USA UK Can Ind NZ (not set) Irl SIP HK Total 1 Mar 4, Aug 31, 2012 Sep 1, Feb 28, 2013 Visits Aus USA UK Can Ind NZ (not set) Irl 13 6 SIP 54 6 HK 1 5 Total

19 SUMMARY OF KEY FINDINGS While there seem to be adequate opportunities for dementia education at the vocational and postgraduate levels, there is a stark absence of dementia education in undergraduate courses in the health professions. Similar observation was made at a Forum hosted by the Minister s Dementia Advisory Group, examining Dementia in Acute Care in November A key recommendation of that forum was to incorporate ageing and dementia education into the undergraduate curricula of nurses, doctors and allied health workers. This is an essential step in workforce development. 19

20 SUMMARY OF KEY FINDINGS Reports from European Union indicate that pre-registration training in dementia care is seen as a priority, however leadership among educators and government policy makers is needed to achieve the desired outcomes. (Downs, Capstick, Baldwin & Bruce, 2009; Warner, Furnish, Longley & Lawlor (Eds) 2002; Blakemore, 2010; Parker, 2001) Organisations such as the Dementia Training Study Centres provide feedback to government as well as professional development activities for health professionals in dementia care. Improved collaboration between education providers, service providers and consumers should produce a skilled workforce 20

21 WORKING TOGETHER Recognise the importance of our workforce in dementia care. The Australian Government Productivity Commission report of 2011 noted that improved wages and employment conditions are the foundation for building a larger aged and dementia care workforce. The report also flagged the need to improve access to high quality education and training; along with developing well-articulated career paths. Support of skill development helps to attract, retain and build a sustainable workforce Encourage staff to use as well as promote the Dementia Support database so as to explore further options in education and training specific to dementia care. Provide information on the education offered by your institution for input into the database. 21

22 SKILL DEVELOPMENT Increase locally delivered training within regional settings for the benefits of local staff Consideration for Indigenous staff regarding travel away from their own communities to attend training Inclusion of ageing and cognition care as mandatory content in core undergraduate subjects, to prepare students for the workforce and for further education in gerontology and dementia care. Education in implementing Advance Care Plans as to what interventions the person will or will not accept: what is likely to result in better quality of life rather than prolonged dying, possibly resulting in poor quality of life at end stage dementia. 22

23 SKILL DEVELOPMENT EXAMPLES OF ONLINE TRAINING Dementia Training Study Centres website Leading Age Services Australia (Queensland) formerly Aged Care Queensland Institute website offers fee-paying short courses in metropolitan and regional areas on various topics The Aged Care Channel Professional Development via Rural Health Education Foundation, website Social Care Institute of Excellence UK website 23

24 FINAL THOUGHTS The number of people living with dementia in Australia is approximately 320,000, with 1,700 new diagnoses each week. (Alzheimers Australia website Of these, 24,400 people have Younger Onset Dementia Australia is projected to face a shortage of more than 150,000 paid and unpaid carers for people with dementia by As the ninth health priority area for Australia, dementia is acknowledged as needing a substantial investment in education for the workforce needed to care for this part of the population (Aust Govt Dept Health and Ageing, This care should be person-centred, skilled and preserve the dignity of the individual (Kitwood, 1997) Service providers and educational institutions need to do our part in informing policy and furthering the development of the workforce who provide that care. 24

25 REFERENCES Mapping Dementia Education and Training In Queensland (Final Report). Queensland Dementia Training Study Centre, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology. November 2011 Blakemore, S. (2010). Analysis: Dementia tsar appointed to give direction to strategy. Nursing Older People, 22 (2), 8-9. Caring for Older Australians. Australian Government Productivity Commission. August 8, pp Downs, M., Capstick, P.C., Baldwin, C. & Bruce, E. (2009). The role of higher education in transforming the quality of dementia: Dementia studies at the University of Bradford. International Psychogeriatrics, 21, Supplement 1, S3-S15. Kitwood, T. (1997). Dementia Reconsidered: The Person Comes First (pp ). Buckingham: Oxford University Press. Parker, J. (2001). Looking, listening and learning: A rationale for involving student social workers in dementia care. Social Work Education: The International Journal, 20 (5), Warner, M. Furnish, S. Longley, M. & Lawlor, B. (Eds). Alzheimer s Disease: Policy and Practice Across Europe. Oxford: Radcliffe Medical Press. ISBN: