Background Dementia, a progressive, devastating and incurable disease affects millions of older Americans and their caregivers. Effective dementia-training programs for caregivers and healthcare professionals (HP) can lead to improved patient outcomes. Simulation-educational experiences are innovative with long-lasting impact. Currently, there are no simulation hands-on experiences focused on dementia care to train HP or hired caregivers (HC). Objective: To evaluate the educational effectiveness of a Dementia Immersion Simulation Experience (DISE) intervention among HP and HC. Methods DISE is a face-to-face 2-hour intervention that includes virtual reality, hands-on simulation with multiple sensory experiences, group debriefing led by dementia-caregiving expert. Program evaluation and pre/post knowledge assessments were administered. Results Nf110. HP, Nf72; HC, Nf25. Pre/post mean score of knowledge assessment (scale 0–12) for all was 8.3/9.7 (p < 0.0001). Participants were also grouped by whether they were “well-informed” (achieving 10 or better on knowledge assessment) or had “knowledge gap” (9 or fewer). 25% were well-informed on dementia before DISE; 63% after DISE (p < 0.0001). DISE program evaluation showed 98% participants highly rated experience across all categories. Evaluation scores further support an effective program. Furthermore, number of clinical referrals seeking expertise from a dementia specialist/team increased by 50% two months post-intervention. Conclusion DISE is a successful tool to teach, support and empower HP and HC, effectively changing care provided to individuals with dementia by using hands-on simulation training. Further studies are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of DISE in improving behavioral symptoms, training family caregivers, and decreasing other dementia-related undesirable outcomes such as nursing home placement.
Dementia awareness training alone does not improve care or outcomes for patients living with dementia. Effective dementia education programs for family caregivers and healthcare providers can lead to improved care practices and patient outcomes. The Dementia Immersion Simulation Experience (DISE) is a face-to-face 2-hour educational program that includes simulation, videos, a virtual reality station, group debriefing, and a didactic session delivered by faculty with dementia caregiving expertise. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the effectiveness of DISE in a group of 48 interdisciplinary healthcare providers, trainees and administrative staff. A program evaluation and pre and post knowledge questionnaires were administered. Prior to the activity, the mean score of all participants was 8.85. After the activity, the mean score was 10.1 (p<0.0001). 35.4% of all participants were well informed on dementia before DISE and 70.8% were well informed after the activity (p <0.0005). Qualitative analysis of the comments section of the program evaluation showed that 95% of the participants mentioned empathy for those living with dementia. Participants rated DISE on a scale of 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 5 (Strongly Agree) across ten categories, covering objectives, relevance, effectiveness, and value of the learning experience. Over 95% of respondents agreed or better (score = 4 or 5) with each evaluation statement and at least 85% strongly agreed with each statement. The evaluation scores are further evidence of an effective program. DISE is an effective tool to teach and support family caregivers, healthcare workers, and healthcare professionals and trainees.
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