The specific aims of this project are to 1) develop a model Alzheimer's training project for use in rural West Virginia, 2) to increase the knowledge and skills about A.D. of local health professionals and community leaders, 3) to produce curriculum materials applicable to training in rural area, 4) to facilitate the transfer of training from """"""""expert"""""""" to trainee and then to other trainees in a 3-tiered approach, 5) to facilitate in-service training in local social and health organizations, 6) to facilitate networking among local professionals to benefit A.D. patients, and 7) to design a network for consultation with university experts. A three-tiered methodology will be used. First curriculum materials including a videotape especially designed for training about Alzheimer's disease in rural areas will be produced. Then in Stage-One, 15-18 professionals and leaders will be brought from three counties in West Virginia to W.V.U. for a 3-day training session. Those professionals will then do an in-service for their own organizations. In Stage Two, these trained individuals will conduct a full training for their counterpart professionals in two adjoining counties, bringing the total to 45-54 trained. After the professionals from six counties have been trained, they will also do an in-service. Finally, in Stage Three, the trainees from all 9 counties will conduct full training for their counterpart professionals in two more adjoining counties. In all 27 counties will participate and 90 to 108 individuals will be trained. Pretests and posttests will be used at all training sessions. Critical comparisons will be done based on the data obtained from the three stages of training. The final part of this project will be to create a telephone referral service whereby trainees will have contact with the experts in Alzheimer's disease at West Virginia University.
| Rankin, E D; Haut, M W; Keefover, R W et al. (1994) The establishment of clinical cutoffs in measuring caregiver burden in dementia. Gerontologist 34:828-32 |
