Continuing on the theme of online resources for CNA’s, Patti gathered several links to sites that offer continuing education opportunities. These are not free and pricing is a bit prohibitive for individual CNA’s. Facilities can certainly afford some of this though.

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The Dept. of Veterans Affairs has an excellent online tool kit for a FALLS PREVENTION program. It’s available for free, and full of good ideas. CNA’s are a vital part of their program!

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The National Association of Health Care Assistants has been around for many years; it’s an excellent CNA advocacy group and offers individual and facility memberships. Through this group, CNA’s have an opportunity to engage in a professional course designed to further their knowledge and skills with caring for the elderly.

Description
The Geriatric Care Specialist Program is a 10-module correspondence study course for certified nursing assistants. This course is designed to assist nursing assistants with enhancing their knowledge and skills in the field of geriatric care. The certification expires annually. To maintain certification, submit annual verification that 12 hours of in-service have been completed, along with $5 renewal fee.

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Syllabus

Module One
Anatomy and Physiology

Module Two
Age Related Disorders

Module Three
Geriatric Urinary Incontinence

Module Four
Pressure Ulcers, Wound Healing, and Skin Care

Module Five
Caring for Residents with Dementia

Module Six
Psycho-Social Needs of the Geriatric Resident

Module Seven
Communicating in Long Term Care

Module Eight
Restorative Care

Module Nine
Observation, Reporting, and Documentation

Module Ten
Survey Process and Federal Regulations
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Go HERE for more details.

If you’re looking for prepared programs to further you’re knowledge as a CNA, this site has a comprehensive listing of courses. For LTC facilities mostly, this site offers online classes that staff can participate in through their employer.

Academy of Certified Health Professionals

ACHP Educational Programs

A revolutionary continuing education program designed to meet the complete needs of health care providers. Programs are geared to real life educational needs based on feedback from nursing assistants, charge nurses, administrators, staff development coordinators, CNAs and nursing directors.

A sample list of course titles:
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Skin Integrity Management
Course Number 150
Professional Point Value 10
Level of Difficulty
Description: This course details the anatomy and physiology of the integumentary system, age related changes, and preventive care to maintain skin integrity.

Pressure Ulcer Prevention
Course Number 250
Professional Point Value 15
Level of Difficulty
Description: Knowing that prevention is the best treatment of pressure ulcers, this module outlines the risk factors identified for skin breakdown, causes of skin breakdown and caregiver implications related to pressure ulcer prevention.

Weight Loss Management and Intervention
Course Number 350
Professional Point Value 15
Level of Difficulty
Description: Adequate nutritional intake is imperative for skin integrity and wound healing. Unplanned weight loss puts the frail and elderly at risk for pressure ulcer development and impaired wound healing. This course defines the necessary nutrients, vitamins and minerals for optimal health, plus caregiver methods to reduce unplanned weight loss and optimize nutritional intake.

Wound Healing in the Elderly Individual
Course Number 450
Professional Point Value 20
Level of Difficulty
Description: Building on the material presented in Courses 150, 250, and 350, this module provides, in great detail, the phases of wound healing, the ideal environment to promote wound healing, and how the CNA can positively impact wound healing.

Developing and Implementing Resident Safety Protocols
Course Number 160
Professional Point Value 10
Level of Difficulty
Description: Nursing assistants are the first line of defense against resident accidents and injuries. This course will explore realistic and hands-on techniques to ensure the safest environment and care for the frail, elderly and disabled needing assistance.

Infection Control for the Nursing Assistant
Course Number 260
Professional Point Value 15
Level of Difficulty
Description: Because even the mildest of infections can be life threatening to the frail, elderly and disabled, it is imperative the CNA have a good working knowledge of the chain of infection and how to prevent the transmission of infection to those in their care. This course will cover those topics, plus other techniques to reduce the risk of infection both to residents and staff alike.
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There are MANY others.

Also, this service offers a CAREER LADDER PROGRAM based on the completion of the courses. This would be geared for facilities and not individual CNA’s.

Here’s another site that offers educational lessons for CNA’s.

The Learning Center
The Learning Center (TLC) provides seminars and self-study programs on relevant topics and issues affecting the long-term care industry today. The knowledgeable staff at TLC combine experience with research to deliver a comprehensive program of classes to the long-term care public.

Some of the courses:
The CNA in Long-Term Care — Take One: Professionalism
Purpose:
To describe the basic principles of professionalism. The CNA will gain a sense of pride in the work he/she does in long-term care.

Objectives:
State six basic principles of professionalism.
Recognize the role of the CNA on the caregiving team.
Dicuss the role of the other members on the caregiving team.
Demonstrate two tips on communicating with residents.
List three ways a CNA can impact the future of long-term care.

Target Audience:
Certified Nursing Assistants, Resident Care Technicians, Direct Care Providers in the long-term care setting.

In-Service Education Credit:
2 hours.

Single Copy $16.00 per copy
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The CNA in Long-Term Care — Take Three: Surviving the Survey Process

Purpose:
To describe the responsibility a CNA has during the survey process and underscore the importance of the CNA’s role. The CNA will learn how important skills, knowing the residents, and familiarity with the residents’ care plans will impact a positive survey outcome.

Objectives:
List three reports that the surveyors have before they walk into the facility and describe briefly how the information relates to the residents.
Name at least three things surveyors will focus on in the initial tour.
Recognize the importance of the role the CNA plays in respecting resident’s rights and dignity.
State four questions that surveyors may ask the CNA during the interview process for selected residents and family members.
Explain the meaning of “The Big Picture” and how it relates to a successful survey.

Target Audience:
Certified Nursing Assistants, Resident Care Technicians, Direct Care Providers in the long-term care setting.

In-Service Education Credit:
2 hours.

Single Copy $16.00 per copy
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There are several others at this site as well.

Everything You Need To Know About Being a CNA

Nursing Home Magazine does it again: AN excellent article about dysphagia and swallowing problems, some of which is aimed at CNA’s:

Dysphagia is not unusual among older adults living in long-term care facilities. One study recorded the presence of mealtime difficulties in nursing home residents and found that nearly 90% had impairments that included dysphagia, poor oral intake, positioning problems, or challenging behaviors. Furthermore, 68% of the residents experienced dysphagia, compromising their ability to enjoy meals, let alone consume the necessary calories to meet nutritional requirements. Dysphagia can lead to aspiration, choking, dehydration, malnutrition, and pneumonia. In fact, aspiration pneumonia is the fifth leading cause of death in people over 60 years of age and the third leading cause of death in people over 80. Clearly, food intake is crucial to many residents’ health and quality of life.

Residents with dysphagia often require modified diet consistencies, such as thickened liquids or pureed foods. In addition, nursing assistants must often comply with specialized feeding techniques, such as placing food in the non-impaired side of the mouth, limiting the use of straws, or facilitating the use of adaptive feeding equipment. In the dining room, nursing assistants who provide help to, monitor, or feed residents must follow the techniques for the residents’ safety and nutritional health. Failure to successfully comply with swallowing and feeding recommendations can cause inadequate hydration and nutrition and unsafe feeding.

More:

Through therapy, a speech-language pathologist can help many residents with dysphagia learn compensatory swallowing techniques. Researchers have found that poor staff training and a lack of understanding about feeding recommendations can cause malnutrition and dehydration in long-term care. McGillivray and Marland conducted a review of the literature on assisting people with dementia during meals. Their review found that mealtime assistance is often stressful for residents and staff because feeding becomes task centered and staff have not been sufficiently educated or trained.

I think ALL staff could use more training.

Did you know?

Signs and Symptoms of Dysphagia
Some signs and symptoms of dysphagia are not commonly known. For example, did you know that a persistent low-grade fever might be a sign of dysphagia? Did you know that if a resident is spitting food at meals, he or she might have oral phase dysphagia and might be unable to chew properly? Review the list below with your staff. Residents displaying the following signs and symptoms of dysphagia should be seen by a speech-language pathologist:

* Having trouble recognizing food
* Difficulty placing food in mouth
* Drooling or spitting
* Food falling out of mouth
* Pocketing of food in mouth
* Rocking tongue back and forth while chewing
* Food left in mouth after the swallow
* Chewing for a long time
* Coughing before, during, or after the swallow
* Delayed or absent rise of the larynx during the swallow
* Requiring 3–4 swallows after each bite
* Continuous throat clearing during or after the meal
* Wet or hoarse voice
* Complaining of something caught in throat
* Refusing to eat or very slow eater
* Lasting low-grade fever
* Unplanned weight loss or unexplained loss of appetite
* Pneumonia
* Malnutrition or dehydration

This article provides an excellent review of swallowing problems for nursing home residents and would be a timely and good resource for an in service.