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Dear Friend
Once again, the Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute, the parent
organization of this newsletter, is looking for a few good men and
women. Please visit the PHI website
(http://www.paraprofessional.org/) for job descriptions and
information on how to apply for the four open positions: Director of
Evaluation, Health Care for Health Care Workers Campaign Coordinator,
Business/Consulting Manager, and Pennsylvania State Director. And if
you know of someone else who might be right for one of them, please
pass on the word.
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Analyzing the Link between Education and Retention
A statewide dementia care training program in Virginia led to
increased job satisfaction rates for the direct-care workers who
participated, according to a study published in the September issue
of Educational Gerontology.
According to
The Long-Term Care Workforce Crisis: Dementia-Care Training Influences on Job Satisfaction and Career Commitment,
the initiative included three parts: core training in professional
development and the team approach to health care, a person-centered
care training program created by the Alzheimer's Association, and a
train-the-trainer program for nursing aides and assistants.
While participants reported more job satisfaction after the
training, their commitment to direct-care work as a career decreased
overall. This might be because the training "led to increased
frustration when newly learned enlightened practices could not be
applied due to organizational barriers and bureaucratic
inefficiency," hypothesize authors Constance L. Coogle, Colleen A.
Head, and Iris A. Parham of Virginia Commonwealth University.
"When new knowledge is provided, enabling or reinforcing
strategies must also be present to facilitate the transfer of that
learning into behavior in the workplace," they write. "The critical
issue in training is effecting change in practice."
The authors also cite other studies finding that
dementia-specific training can increase job satisfaction, reduce
burnout, improve caregivers' ability to deal with job-related stress,
and increase job satisfaction.
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Nursing Home Pioneers Recognized
Two visionary figures from the world of long-term care will be
honored at an October 24 awards ceremony by the
Heinz Family Foundation for
their efforts to improve living conditions in America's nursing homes.
A Chairman's Medal is being awarded this year to Elma Holder,
founder of the
National Citizens Coalition for Nursing Home Reform,
for her decades of work to improve quality of care and quality of
life for nursing home residents. The medal is only occasionally
awarded to exceptional individuals, in recognition of "the lifetime
achievement of someone whose career has been distinguished by a
pattern of extraordinary accomplishment and character."
The five honorees receiving the 2006 Heinz Award include William
Thomas, M.D., the founder and director of the
Eden Alternative. Thomas won for
his work to alleviate what he calls the three plagues affecting most
nursing home residents: loneliness, helplessness, and boredom. The
Heinz Award encompasses a $250,000 prize.
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Minding the Care Gap
About 20 percent of U.S. adults who need long-term care assistance
are unable to find either a paid caregiver or a friend or family
member to help, and demand for home-based services is likely to
double by 2050, according to
Caregiving in America.
The report, which was issued by
The Caregiving Project for Older Americans,
discusses the "severe shortage of paid caregivers-especially of
those in home-based settings" and factors influencing the shortage,
including low median wages for direct-care workers. It also provides
demographic information about care recipients and care providers and
summarizes work done to narrow the care gap by academic,
professional, and service organizations.
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Newsletter Covers Health Insurance 101 for Caregivers
A special issue of
The Hub,
the newsletter of the Iowa CareGivers Association, covers the ins
and outs of health insurance. In addition to specifics about where to
find health care help in Iowa, it contains a great deal of
information of interest to direct-care workers nationwide.
Features include a chart describing the main types of coverage
available, a health care coverage glossary, and a list of questions
to consider when shopping for health insurance.
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Assisted Living by the Numbers
Nearly nine in ten assisted living facilities (89 percent) offer
health insurance coverage for full-time employees and a third (35
percent) offer coverage to part-time staff. Together, they cover a
median of 75 percent of the costs. Fewer facilities offer health
insurance for employees' families (79 percent for full-time staff and
32 percent for part-time), and those that do pay for a median of just
half the costs.
These statistics may be found in the
2006 Overview of Assisted Living from the National Center for
Assisted Living, the American Association of Homes and Services for
the Aging, the Assisted Living Federation of America, the American
Seniors Housing Association, and the National Investment Center for
the Seniors Housing & Care Industry.
The report includes data on community types, payment plans,
occupancy rates, resident demographics and more. In addition to data
on health insurance and other benefits, the Staffing and Labor
section includes data on the number of staff per facility, the
percent of facilities that employ universal workers, and the percent
of nursing and other services that are contracted out.
The surveys were sent by the five sponsoring organizations to
member assisted living and dementia care communities.
The report costs $125 plus shipping. To order a copy, call
800-321-0343.
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An SOS for Family Caregivers
The need for more paid caregivers to support family caregivers who
are approaching burnout was underscored by a new study from the
National Alliance for Caregiving. More than 2.5 million home-based
family caregivers experience depression, stress, and declines in
their health, according to
Caregivers in Decline.
The study, which is based on an online survey of 528 family
caregivers supplemented by phone interviews and discussion groups,
found that the most common aspects of their mental and physical
health to deteriorate are:
- Energy and sleep (87%)
- Stress and/or panic attacks (70%)
- Pain, aching (60%)
- Depression (52%)
- Headaches (41%)
- Weight gain/loss (38%)
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Direct-Care Job Boom Expected to Continue
The category of nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants is expected
to grow faster than any other part of the health care workforce
between 2004 and 2014, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics.
Healthcare Employment for Workers Without a Bachelor's Degree
estimates a growth of 516,000 in that category, while the number of
home health aides is projected to grow by 431,000.
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October 22-25, 2006
National Citizens' Coalition for Nursing Home Reform (NCCNHR)
National Conference and Annual Meeting, Arlington, VA
November 1-2, 2006
Better Jobs Better Care-Pennsylvania (BJBC-PA) Direct Care Workers
Annual Conference, Harrisburg, PA
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