Dementia-Specialized Educational Needs for Employees of Dementia-related Institutions in South Korea and Future Directions for Improvement

Abstract

This study aimed to explore dementia-specialized education and the training needs of employees from various dementia-related institutions in South Korea and propose directions for future development of the standard curriculum. Methods: Qualitative data were generated from four round-table meetings with 44 participants recruited from the metropolitan centers for dementia (N=12), regional dementia-relief centers (N=15), long-term care settings (N=7), and public long-term care hospitals (N=10). Each meeting was held for about 120 minutes, and participants discussed the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required for their job, satisfactory and non-satisfactory experiences of education programs they had participated in, and what should improve. All contents discussed in each meeting were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed using a conventional content-analysis method. Results: Eight categories and 19 subcategories emerged under the three themes of (a) educational contents recognized as necessary, (b) advantages and disadvantages of completed dementia education, and (c) directions for improving educational programs for employees of dementia-related institutions. Conclusion: Dementia-specialized education and training should be standardized and structured systematically and differently depending on the job characteristics, type, and required level of expertise. Communication with and attitudes toward patients with dementia is re-emphasized as a common content regardless of occupation and institution; thus, sufficient training time should be secured. Qualified instructors and various platforms are also necessary to effectively deliver quality education.

Contenidos y competencias destacadas a incorporar en la formación técnica para el cuidado de personas mayores en Colombia, Costa Rica y Uruguay

“…Entre las prioridades formativas más mencionadas por personas cuidadoras, aparecen las estrategias para el abordaje de personas con alteraciones cognitivas y psicoconductuales, que con frecuencia se asocian a trastornos neurocognitivos, lo que requiere de estrategias de comunicación, en particular no verbal, manejo de situaciones complejas, acompañamiento y promoción de entornos estimulantes específicos, y trabajo con familias, aspectos que se viven como desafiantes, actualmente, por parte de quienes cuidan. Jung et al (2021) identificaron que las estrategias de comunicación y las actitudes hacia las personas con demencia representan una necesidad educativa central de quien cuida personas mayores, independientemente de la ocupación o de la institución donde se realice la tarea.…”

“…Jung et al (2021) yDawud et al (2022) señalan que las personas cuidadoras consideran como responsabilidad clave en su rol la promoción de la dignidad, el trato personalizado y el bienestar, seguido por garantizar la seguridad del paciente y promover su calidad de vida Hajek et al (2017). Doi https://doi.org/10.15517/aie.v24i1.55621 Volumen 24, Número 1, Art.…”