The Integral Role of Hospice Nurse Educators in a Palliative Care Education Program for Nurses in Assisted Living. (16th December 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Dobbs, Debra; Meng, Hongdao; Haley, William; Buck, Harleah; Hyer, Kathryn; Templeman, Maureen; Vogel, Carlyn
• Is Part Of: Innovation in aging. Volume 4(2020)Supplement 1
• Page Start: 699
• Page End: 699
• Publication Date: 2020-12-16
• Subjects: Aging -- Periodicals; Gerontology -- Periodicals; 612.67
• DOI: 10.1093/geroni/igaa057.2452
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2399-5300

Abstract

Abstract: Persons with dementia (PWD) are increasingly cared for in assisted living (AL) settings with an annual mortality rate of close to 20%. Palliative care (PC) for PWD in ALs can improve end-of-life care. From May, 2019 to February, 2020 a 4-week PC education in AL (PCEAL) program for nurses who provide care to PWD, facilitated by hospice nurses in Florida, was tested in a sample of nurses (N=20) in a cluster randomized trial (9 ALs, 4 treatment/5 control). We examined if PC knowledge increased from pre to post-intervention using a validated measure (Thompson, 2011). All intervention nurses (N=10) completed all four sessions of the PCEAL. While the baseline score was lower for the intervention group compared to the control group, the intervention group improved (M=2.20 to 2.37) compared to the control group (M=2.83 to 2.75) post-intervention. Two-month booster sessions indicate nurses have integrated PC care learned in the PCEAL program.