P2‐483: DEVELOPMENT OF AN ATTENDANT TRAINING PROGRAMME FOR DEMENTIA CARE: EXPERIENCES FROM HARYANA, INDIA

Abstract

Globally, home-based care is being recognized as an aging-friendly and cost effective model to address the increasing prevalence of dementia. In India, attendants (paid care workers) are often employed to provide care and additional support to the patient. However, these attendants have limited training in dementia-specific care and learning is usually ‘on-the-job’. Specialized training programmes are needed to improve skills of this workforce and enable better patient care. We describe the development of such a program for dementia care attendants in Haryana, India. The primary objective was to develop and evaluate a culturally appropriate training programme for attendants to provide in-home dementia care. The Samvedna Dementia Attendant Training Programme was developed to train attendants with the requisite knowledge and skills to provide quality dementia care. Training content was developed, following review of best practices in dementia care and discussion with experienced care specialists, into a 12-hour classroom-based training programme. Content was translated into Hindi, the local language and medium of delivery. Training was delivered by dementia care specialists using methodologies of lectures, role-plays, and discussion groups. Training content was iteratively modified following two rounds of participant feedback. A manual was created as a training aid and reviewed by experts. Acquisition of knowledge and skills was evaluated using in-depth interviews with trainers and participants. Attendants have been trained using this program in groups with 5–8 participants (N=23; 16 females, 7 males). Educational background of trainees was diverse ranging from high school to graduate level. They were mostly early career (74% aged between 19–25 years) with 2 years or less work experience (61%). Thematic analysis of in-depth interviews showed that participants experienced increase in knowledge and skills, and were more confident in managing behavioural and psychosocial problems associated with dementia (BPSD). Attendants also expressed the need for psychological support to reduce chances of burnout. Preliminary findings from rollout of the Samvedna Dementia Attendant Training Programme suggest that attendants benefit from specialized dementia care training. This is essential to building a workforce capable of providing quality home-based dementia care and addressing the growing needs in India.