With the busy day-to-day activities in Personal Care and Assisted Living Communities, it’s difficult to remember that all staff need 16 hours of education each year. Remember, though, that good education can inspire, re-energize and re-shape the way your staff thinks about work.
Everyone needs to be refreshed on basic care, medication administration techniques, and dementia care. These topics should always be included in your yearly education updates.
But how do you keep in-services fresh, exciting, and give your staff some education that may not ordinarily receive? Think outside the box. Find interesting topic speakers that you would not think of that may be just what the doctor ordered for your continuing education program.
Caring for people with dementia is a difficult job, that sometimes does not lead to outward rewards. But what if you had someone from Home Depot or Lowe’s in to teach staff how to plant a simple container garden with the residents? What about a cooking expert to give some fresh ideas for projects that can be done in the kitchen with people that have dementia?
For your more independent staff, could someone come in and teach staff about game playing, prom planning, or how to organize a tea? There are many young people that could teach staff about using a Wii game for tournament playing. Could medication experts come in and teach staff about side effects of drugs that staff may not know to watch for? Could all staff benefit from a falls prevention course?
The answer to all of these questions is YES! Really begin to look at your in-services and education. If you are doing the same old stuff each year, and wonder why you cannot get your staff to attend, there may be a reason behind it. Try incorporating new and different education programs that utilize community volunteers that love to come share their expertise. You may be surprised by what you find!
At Guardian Pharmacy Atlanta, we partner with you and your community to provide the best education services available. We teach the basic courses such as Georgia Certified Medication Aide training to our partner communities, Proxy caregiver for medication training for our partner communities, and basic medication administration and eMar Training. However, if you have particular needs that are outside this box and are medication or care related, please give Lori Newcomb a call at 404-309-4958 to discuss your ideas.