Promoting Elderspeak Awareness: Adapting Changing Talk Online Communication Education for Adult Day Services Staff.
Kristine Williams, Carissa K Coleman, Maria Hein and 3 others
PMID 36944174WHAT IT FOUND
Online elderspeak training increased adult day service staff knowledge and confidence in dementia care.
All 19 completers passed the 75% knowledge test. Ratings of communication effectiveness, appropriateness, and person-centeredness showed no clear improvement.
Key findings
01Staff knowledge of elderspeak and person-centered communication rose from 62.4% to 77.3% correct, an average 15 percentage-point increase.
02Confidence in working with people with dementia rose by a mean 1.9 points, and very confident staff rose from 55.6% to 72.2%.
03Recognition of elderspeak improved from 0.6 to 0.7, but ADS staff ratings of communication effectiveness, appropriateness, and person-centeredness did not improve significantly.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Small convenience sample from three sites in one state, with only 19 completers. One-group pretest-posttest design had no control group, so it cannot show what would have happened without training. Outcomes were staff knowledge, confidence, and ratings, not patient communication, distress, or care quality. Some communication ratings did not improve, and ADS staff had higher starting ratings than nursing home staff. Knowledge and confidence scores could not be compared directly with the nursing home pilot because the tests differed or were absent. Six focus group participants reported technical difficulties, and cultural and geographic variation in elderspeak was not examined.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The publication types list NIH extramural research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that CHATO improves patient communication or reduces behavioural symptoms in adult day services. This pilot measured staff knowledge, confidence, and ratings, not patient outcomes, and some communication ratings did not improve.