Dementia Care Training Interventions for Residential Aged Care Workers: An Umbrella Review

Abstract

Objectives

Staff working in residential aged care (RAC) play a vital role in delivering quality care to residents with dementia. This umbrella review aimed to summarize reviews that examined dementia training interventions for RAC staff and their effects, to inform the development of training for an Australian aged care organization.

Design

Umbrella review.

Settings and participants

RAC workers and older adults with dementia living in RAC.

Methods

An umbrella review was adopted to summarize a wide range of education and training interventions efficiently. A systematic search was conducted to identify systematic, literature, or scoping reviews that adopted a systematic or documented search strategy; included primary studies that assessed training or educational interventions for paid staff in RAC; and focused specifically on dementia care.

Results

Twenty-seven reviews met inclusion criteria. Dementia training for RAC workers included a diverse range of topics, frameworks, or approaches to care. Clinical and direct care staff were the participants of training across most interventions. Core training components focused on (1) managing behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, (2) providing person-centered care, and (3) building communication skills. Training was often couched within multifaceted dementia interventions. More successful training extended beyond didactic teaching methods and engaged staff across multiple training sessions. Although a range of staff and resident outcomes were examined, the diversity of outcomes assessed and study designs made it difficult to compare across reviews.

Conclusion and Implications

Given the prevalence of dementia in older people living in RAC, equipping the workforce with the core knowledge and skills in how to care for a person with dementia is vital for the delivery of quality of care and resident quality of life.