Authors

  1. Pfeifer, Pamela MSN
  2. Vandenhouten, Christine PhD, RN, APHN-BC, CPH
  3. Purvis, Suzanne DNP, GCNS-BC
  4. Zupanc, Tamara DNP, CCRN

Abstract

The nursing care of hospitalized patients with dementia is planned and supervised by registered nurses. This care is delivered using a team approach, including certified nursing assistants, who may lack the knowledge and skills to properly provide care and manage the challenging behaviors associated with dementia. This article describes an innovative, multimodal education program designed to help certified nursing assistants acquire this knowledge and skill. Use of post-then-pre evaluation showed the positive results of this program.