title: Train the trainer in dementia care. A program to foster communication skills in nursing home staff caring for dementia patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Improvement of communication skills in nursing home staff is key to provide better care for dementia patients and decrease occupational mental stress.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  An innovative train-the-trainer program to improve and maintain professional caregivers' social competencies in nursing home dementia care is described.
  
  
  METHODS
  Over a period of 6 months, a group of 6 senior staff members were qualified as program trainers (multiplicators) for the TANDEM training program, which qualified them to design, deliver, and evaluate training sessions that foster specific social competencies in dementia care. In a subsequent intervention study with 116 geriatric caregivers in 14 nursing homes, training was provided either by multiplicators (intervention group) or directly by project coworkers (control group).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants in both groups improved their dementia-specific communication skills. In a follow-up survey, the intervention group also reported lasting reductions in mental stressors at work (p < 0.05) and occupational mental stress (p < 0.01) compared with the control group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The qualification of staff members in German nursing homes to be multiplicators for the TANDEM train-the-trainer program for dementia-specific communication skills has a beneficial influence on social competencies, mental stressors at work, and occupational mental stress of staff who care for dementia patients and may contribute to a sustainable implementation of dementia-specific social competencies.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Allgemeinmedizin, Goethe Universität Frankfurt, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590, Frankfurt am Main, Deutschland.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Franzmann
authors.affiliation: Institut für Allgemeinmedizin, Goethe Universität Frankfurt, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590, Frankfurt am Main, Deutschland.|Interdisziplinäre Alternswissenschaft (IAW), Goethe Universität Frankfurt, Theodor-W.-Adorno-Platz 6, 60325, Frankfurt am Main, Deutschland.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Haberstroh
authors.affiliation: Institut für Allgemeinmedizin, Goethe Universität Frankfurt, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590, Frankfurt am Main, Deutschland. pantel@allgemeinmedizin.uni-frankfurt.de.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pantel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003479:Curriculum; D003704:Dementia / Q000451:nursing* / Q000523:psychology*; D005858:Germany; D058015:Health Communication; D006707:Homes for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009735:Nursing Homes; D009740:Nursing Staff / Q000193:education*; D066107:Social Skills; D000070260:Teacher Training / Q000458:organization & administration*; D000078329:Workforce
keywords: Communication skills; Continuing education; Dementia; Nursing homes; Professional caregiver