Direct care workers, who provide hands-on care to millions of Americans each day, are the key to ensuring that our nation can deliver quality long-term services and supports to a growing older population. Yet, this workforce is “in crisis” due to a number of factors, including high turnover, poor working conditions, inadequate training and low pay.
The LeadingAge Center for Applied Research became a national leader in the effort to address these important issues through Better Jobs Better Care, a $15.5 million research and demonstration program. This major national initiative launched an ongoing effort by the Center to improve the working conditions and preparation of direct care workers, nurses and other staff in long-term care settings.
The Center for Applied Research continues to disseminate information about workforce-related challenges and collaborates with employers and policy makers to identify, demonstrate and assess promising workforce development and improvement practices.
Featured Projects
Educating Direct Care Workers on Transitions of Care
Dr. Robyn Stone and Natasha Bryant wrote a chapter on educating direct care workers in transitions of care. The chapter appears in the "Annual Review of Gerontology and Geriatrics: Pathways Through the Transitions of Care for Older Adults" book.
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LeadingAge Center for Applied Research Awarded Contract to Analyze National Home Health Aide Survey
LeadingAge Center for Applied Research, in partnership with Social & Scientific Systems, Inc. (SSS), will be conducting analyses using the 2007 National Home Health Aide survey to provide technical assistance and policy analysis to the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE). This project is funded by ASPE and the Center is a subcontractor to SSS.
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LeadingAge Launches Online Nurse Leadership Training Program
Nurse Leadership Enrichment and Development (NurseLEAD) is an online training program to help charge nurses and team leaders become more effective coaches, leaders and supervisors of frontline staff.
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Geriatric Training Opportunities for Direct Care Workers
The SCAN Foundation supported five grantees to develop a series of continuing education curricula (in-services) for California's direct-care workforce. Each of the curricula was developed within a geriatric framework with an approach to adult learning. There are a number of modules within each topic. Each contains a trainer guide and training materials (presentation, video, handouts, etc.).
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Better Jobs Better Care
The recently completed $15.5 million research and demonstration program, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Atlantic Philanthropies, was designed to bring about changes in long-term care policy and practice that help reduce high vacancy and turnover rates among direct care staff across the spectrum of long-term care settings and improve workforce quality. The program funded grants for state demonstration and applied research and evaluation projects.
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Laura Lavin,RN, Wins 2011 McHugh Award for Nurse Leadership
Laura Lavin, RN, was selected as the recipient of the 2011 McHugh Award for Nurse Leadership. For the past 17 years, Laura Lavin has been a nurse at the Alzheimer’s Resource Center in Plantsville, CT and is currently community leader (Resident Care Coordinator) of a 30-bed dementia care community for residents who are at the later stages of Alzheimer’s disease. She oversees the person centered personal care planning process and is the liaison between the person with dementia, their family, the staff and physician.
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