Lack of Dementia Care Training for New Hires
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that new hire staff were trained on dementia care before caring for residents with dementia. This deficiency was identified during a survey where it was found that the facility did not have a policy on training staff or assessing their competency in dementia care. Interviews with two Certified Nurse Assistants (CNAs) revealed that they had been working at the facility for about four months without receiving any training on dementia care. One CNA mentioned that she was unaware of any special considerations for dealing with residents with dementia, although she did not have any residents with such a diagnosis in her assigned area. Further interviews with the Staff Development Nurse and the Administrator confirmed that dementia care training was not part of the new hire orientation. The Staff Development Nurse, who had been in her role for about five years, acknowledged that dementia care training had never been included in the orientation process. The Administrator also confirmed that staff should receive dementia care training due to the significant number of residents with dementia in the facility. A review of the New Hire Program and the Facility Assessment Tool corroborated the absence of dementia care as a required training topic, despite the presence of 16 residents diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer's Disease in the facility.
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