Five organizations have received a SCAN Foundation grant award aimed at developing California’s direct-care workforce through training and continuing education.

In December, the SCAN Foundation — a nonprofit organization devoted to improving the quality of eldercare — awarded $500,000 to be divided among five organizations, including PHI.

These organizations will use the grant money to “develop curricula and training materials that will better equip direct-care workers with the knowledge and tools necessary for keeping up with innovations in care,” said Bruce Chernof, MD, SCAN’s president and CEO.

Award Will Fund New PHI Curriculum

PHI will use its share of the grant award to develop a three-module, six-hour in-service curriculum to train CNAs in core communication, relationship-building, and problem-solving skills.

Enhancement of these basic competencies will help California’s long-term care organizations comply with the 2009 CMS state surveyor guidelines for creating a home-like environment through resident-centered practices.

“The SCAN Foundation award provides an opportunity for PHI to create a scenario-based in-service curriculum that addresses specific concerns as identified by resident satisfaction surveys and interviews,” said Peggy Powell, PHI National Director of Curriculum and Workforce and Development.

The award also allows PHI to conduct a train-the-trainer workshop to help site educators understand adult learner–centered teaching principles and techniques, Powell added.

Award Recipients Tackle Multiple Training Gaps

Other grantees will be developing curricula on the following topics:

• Aging Services of California: supporting individuals who have dementia
• San Diego Hospice: preparing workers for end-of-life scenarios
• The University of California, Irvine: communicating with families
• The University of Southern California’s Schools of Pharmacy and Gerontology: reducing the reduce the risk of dangerous falls

Janice Guiliano, the director of education and events at Aging Services of California, says that “the lack of great training materials” is one of the major issues confronting the direct-care workforce. She added that the grant money provided by the SCAN Foundation will go a long way toward developing more effective training curricula.

– by Matthew Ozga