DENA tool allows organizations to assess dementia education needs
Continuing education supports practice change and performance improvement
Friday May 30, 2008 -- Jason Thompson
A collaborative led in part by the Ontario Long-Term Care Association (OLTCA) has developed a tool to assist organizations make sound decisions around continuing education programs for dementia in support of practice change and performance improvement.

Patti Boucher, vice-president of client and consulting services with the Ontario Safety Association for Community & Healthcare (OSACH), says the Dementia Education Needs Assessment (DENA) tool will help long-term care providers determine what kind of education curricula is needed and whether the organization is ready for that investment.

The tool was developed by the Education for Healthy and Safe Places to Live and Work Collaborative Group, of which Boucher is a member. The collaborative is chaired by the OLTCA and the Ontario Association of Non-Profit Homes and Services for Seniors (OANHSS).

“The goal of the (collaborative) was to look at what dementia education curricula exists in the province that people are using and to develop this tool that would equip long-term care, acute care and community organizations with a step-by-step approach to assessing the education they need and their readiness for the education,” Boucher tells The Morning Report.

Although catastrophic incidents of violence such as a shooting or a stabbing are infrequent, Boucher says the more common types of violence are those resulting from aggressive or responsive behaviours.

She adds caregivers must focus on assessing the needs of these residents and working to avert aggressive behaviours. The goal of the continuing education around dementia is to equip caregivers with the knowledge and skills to conduct that assessment.

According to the Education for Healthy and Safe Places to Live and Work Collaborative Group, long-term care homes often turn to continuing education when faced with a critical incident, accreditation, policy planning or continuous quality improvement.

The DENA tool is meant to help providers determine if further education is required, if they’re able to support practice change and what educational opportunities are available.

The collaborative says DENA represents a creative method of informing long-term care homes how to facilitate practice change and encouraging incorporation of this knowledge into their organizational structure and philosophy for performance improvement.

To access the DENA tool, visit www.denatool.org.

Stories are often generated by the feedback we receive. If your organization is using DENA and would like to share your experiences with The Morning Report, contact the newsroom by phoning 800-294-0051, ext. 25 or e-mail jason(at)axiomnews.ca.