scholarly journals Improving Dementia Capability Among Law Enforcement: Evaluation of Dementia Education Training in San Diego County

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 495-495
Author(s):  
Sara Powers ◽  
Silvia Orsulic-Jeras ◽  
Jessica Empeno ◽  
Regina Lagasca ◽  
Amy Abrams ◽  
...  

Abstract As the number of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia (ADRD) cases grow, first responders will have more frequent interactions with individuals living with ADRD within the community. Recognizing the lack of dementia training among first responders and through the support of an Administration for Community Living grant, Alzheimer’s San Diego partnered with local law enforcement to support and educate first responders on local ADRD resources, referral systems for families and caregivers, and disease-related information, in hopes of building stronger dementia capable services within San Diego County. To date, 249 first responders have participated in dementia education trainings and completed the related evaluations that aimed to understand their experiences with and knowledge of dementia. On average, participants were 44.74 years old (SD=18.45) and served 8.72 years (SD=7.99) on their job. Majority were male (n=189), had some college education (n=94), and identified as White/Caucasian (n=105) or Hispanic/Latino (n=92). Although objective knowledge (as measured by a shortened version of the Alzheimer’s Disease Knowledge Scale [ADKS]) did not significantly differ from pre- to post-test, participants’ perceived subjective knowledge about dementia significantly increased from pre-test (M=1.17, SD=0.77) to post-test (M=1.89, SD=0.66); t(141)=10.56, p<.001. Encouragingly, participants who reported receiving prior training on dementia had significantly higher ADKS scores at both pre- and post-test compared to those who did not have prior training. Results highlight the need for ongoing dementia-related training for law enforcement and the importance of evaluation requirements. Discussion will focus on policy implications and how communities can support dementia capability among first responders.

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 282-282
Author(s):  
Silvia Orsulic-Jeras ◽  
Sara Powers ◽  
Jessica Empeno ◽  
Regina Lagasca ◽  
Amy Abrams ◽  
...  

Abstract As the number of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia (ADRD) cases grow, first responders will have more frequent interactions with individuals living with ADRD within the community. Recognizing the lack of dementia training among first responders and through the support of an Administration for Community Living grant, Alzheimer’s San Diego partnered with local law enforcement to support and educate first responders on local ADRD resources, referral systems for families and caregivers, and disease-related information, in hopes of building stronger dementia capable services within San Diego County. To date, 249 first responders have participated in dementia education trainings and completed the related evaluations that aimed to understand their experiences with and knowledge of dementia. On average, participants were 44.74 years old (SD=18.45) and served 8.72 years (SD=7.99) on their job. Majority were male (n=189), had some college education (n=94), and identified as White/Caucasian (n=105) or Hispanic/Latino (n=92). Although objective knowledge (as measured by a shortened version of the Alzheimer’s Disease Knowledge Scale [ADKS]) did not significantly differ from pre- to post-test, participants’ perceived subjective knowledge about dementia significantly increased from pre-test (M=1.17, SD=0.77) to post-test (M=1.89, SD=0.66); t(141)=10.56, p<.001. Encouragingly, participants who reported receiving prior training on dementia had significantly higher ADKS scores at both pre- and post-test compared to those who did not have prior training. Results highlight the need for ongoing dementia-related training for law enforcement and the importance of evaluation requirements. Discussion will focus on policy implications and how communities can support dementia capability among first responders.


2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (04) ◽  
pp. 571-577 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret Miller ◽  
Dennis Orwat ◽  
Gelareh Rahimi ◽  
Jacobo Mintzer

ABSTRACTIntroduction:The relationship between Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and alcohol addiction is poorly characterized. Arrests for driving under the influence (DUI) can serve as a proxy for alcohol addiction. Therefore, the potential association between DUI and AD could be helpful in understanding the relationship between alcohol abuse and AD.Materials and methods:A retrospective, population-based cohort study using state health and law enforcement data was performed. The study cross-referenced 141,281 South Carolina Alzheimer’s Disease Registry cases with state law enforcement data.Results:Of the 2,882 registry cases (1.4%) found to have a history of at least one DUI arrest, cases were predominantly White (58.7%) and male (77.4%). Results showed a correlation coefficient of 0.7 (p < 0.0001) between the age of first DUI arrest and the age of AD diagnosis. A dose-response relationship between the number of DUIs and age of AD onset was found to exist, where those with a history of DUI arrest were diagnosed an average of 9.1 years earlier, with a further 1.8 years earlier age at diagnosis in those with two or more arrests for DUI. A history of DUI arrest was also found to be negatively associated with survival after diagnosis, with a 10% decreased life expectancy in those with a DUI arrest history.Conclusions:Driving under the influence, a potential indicator of alcohol addiction, is associated with an earlier onset of AD registry diagnosis and shortened survival after diagnosis. This study contributes to the growing body of evidence suggesting that some cases of AD are alcohol related and, possibly, postponable or preventable.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sydney C. Morgan ◽  
Stefan Aigner ◽  
Catelyn Anderson ◽  
Pedro Belda-Ferre ◽  
Peter De Hoff ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 25-29
Author(s):  
Nira Neupane ◽  
M. Vijaya lakshmi

INTRODUCTION: Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that causes severe deterioration of functional and cognitive abilities. As the leading cause of dementia in adults, it affects one in every 10 people who are more than 65 years of age. There is a vital need for student nurses with knowledge of Alzheimer's disease to provide high quality care for the growing number of patients. The use of effective nursing interventions for the management of Alzheimer's disease can help student nurses promote independence and quality of life for Alzheimer's disease patients. Thus this study is under taken to assess the effectiveness of the self instructional module (SIM) on nursing management of client with Alzheimer's disease among 4th year B. Sc. (N) students.MATERIALS AND METHODS: A quantitative evaluative research approach with pre experimental one group pre test and post test research design & non probability purposive sampling technique was used to select the 60 samples of B.Sc. (N) 4th year students. Self administered structured knowledge questionnaire were used to collect the information from the study samples. The prepared tool was validated by the experts and the reliability was established. The study was conducted in R.V. College of Nursing and Vidyakirana Institute of Nursing Sciences, Bangalore. The data was analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics using SPSS version 19.RESULTS: Findings of the study shown that, the overall mean percentage pre test level of knowledge of B.Sc. Nursing 4th year studentswas 62.08%, and the pre test knowledge score was 35(58.33%) respondents were having moderately adequate knowledge, 13(21.67%) had inadequate knowledge and 12(20%) were having adequate knowledge regarding nursing management of clients with Alzheimer's disease. In the post test overall mean percentage post test level of knowledge was 84.37%. The post test knowledge score was 54(90%) respondents were having adequate knowledge and 06(10%) had moderately adequate knowledge after the administration of SIM. The overall obtained ''t'' value of knowledge 15.6 is highly significant at P< 0.01 level. The obtained chi-square value showed significant association between the pre test level of knowledge and certain socio demographical variables; gender (χ2 =5.12, df =1, p<0.05) and sources of information (χ2 =4.82, df=1, p<0.05). However, it did not show any significant association with other demographic variables of 4th Year B. Sc. (N) students.CONCLUSION: Findings of the study showed that majority of the student nurses were moderately adequate knowledge before administering the SIM. The SIM facilitated them to gain more knowledge regarding nursing management of client's with Alzheimer's disease which was evident in post test knowledge scores. Hence SIM was an effective strategy for providing information and to improve knowledge of students' nurses.Journal of Universal College of Medical Sciences (2016)Vol.04 No.02 Issue 14, page: 25-29 


2017 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. E. Kelly ◽  
B. A. Lawlor ◽  
R. F. Coen ◽  
I. H. Robertson ◽  
S. Brennan

ObjectivesResearch shows that cognitive rehabilitation (CR) has the potential to improve goal performance and enhance well-being for people with early stage Alzheimer’s disease (AD). This single subject, multiple baseline design (MBD) research investigated the clinical efficacy of an 8-week individualised CR intervention for individuals with early stage AD.MethodsThree participants with early stage AD were recruited to take part in the study. The intervention consisted of eight sessions of 60–90 minutes of CR. Outcomes included goal performance and satisfaction, quality of life, cognitive and everyday functioning, mood, and memory self-efficacy for participants with AD; and carer burden, general mental health, quality of life, and mood of carers.ResultsVisual analysis of MBD data demonstrated a functional relationship between CR and improvements in participants’ goal performance. Subjective ratings of goal performance and satisfaction increased from baseline to post-test for three participants and were maintained at follow-up for two. Baseline to post-test quality of life scores improved for three participants, whereas cognitive function and memory self-efficacy scores improved for two.ConclusionsOur findings demonstrate that CR can improve goal performance, and is a socially acceptable intervention that can be implemented by practitioners with assistance from carers between sessions. This study represents one of the promising first step towards filling a practice gap in this area. Further research and randomised-controlled trials are required.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sydney Christian Morgan ◽  
Stefan Aigner ◽  
Catelyn Anderson ◽  
Pedro Belda-Ferre ◽  
Peter De Hoff ◽  
...  

Background: Successful containment strategies for SARS-CoV-2, the causative virus of the COVID-19 pandemic, have involved widespread population testing that identifies infections early and enables rapid contact tracing. In this study, we developed a rapid and inexpensive RT-qPCR testing pipeline for population-level SARS-CoV-2 detection, and used this pipeline to establish a clinical laboratory dedicated to COVID-19 testing at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) with a processing capacity of 6,000 samples per day and next-day result turnaround times. Methods and findings: Using this pipeline, we screened 6,786 healthcare workers and first responders, and 21,220 students, faculty, and staff from UCSD. Additionally, we screened 6,031 preschool-grade 12 students and staff from public and private schools across San Diego County that remained fully or partially open for in-person teaching during the pandemic. Between April 17, 2020 and February 5, 2021, participants provided 161,582 nasal swabs that were tested for the presence of SARS-CoV-2. Overall, 752 positive tests were obtained, yielding a test positivity rate of 0.47%. While the presence of symptoms was significantly correlated with higher viral load, most of the COVID-19 positive participants who participated in symptom surveys were asymptomatic at the time of testing. The positivity rate among preschool-grade 12 schools that remained open for in-person teaching was similar to the positivity rate at UCSD and lower than that of San Diego County, with the children in private schools being less likely to test positive than the adults at these schools. Conclusions: Most schools across the United States have been closed for in-person learning for much of the 2020-2021 school year, and their safe reopening is a national priority. However, as there are no vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 currently available to the majority of school-aged children, the traditional strategies of mandatory masking, physical distancing, and repeated viral testing of students and staff remain key components of risk mitigation in these settings. The data presented here suggest that the safety measures and repeated testing actions taken by participating healthcare and educational facilities were effective in preventing outbreaks, and that a similar combination of risk-mitigation strategies and repeated testing may be successfully adopted by other healthcare and educational systems.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. e000409 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter G Delaney ◽  
Jose A Figueroa ◽  
Zachary J Eisner ◽  
Rudy Erik Hernandez Andrade ◽  
Monita Karmakar ◽  
...  

BackgroundInjury disproportionately affects low-income and middle-income countries, yet robust emergency medical services are often lacking to effectively address the prehospital injury burden. A half-day prehospital emergency trauma care curriculum was designed for first responders and piloted in the Sacatepéquez, Chimaltenango, and Escuintla departments in Guatemala.MethodsThree hundred and fifty-four law enforcement personnel, firefighters, and civilians volunteered to participate in a 5-hour emergency care course teaching scene safety, triage, airway management, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, fracture management, and victim transport. A validated 26-question pretest/post-test study instrument was contextually adapted and used to measure overall test performance, the primary study outcome, as well as test performance stratified by occupation, the secondary study outcome. Pretest/post-test score distributions were compared using a Wilcoxon signed-rank test. For test evaluation, knowledge acquisition on a by-question and by-category basis was examined using McNemar’s χ² test, whereas item difficulty indices used frequency-of-distribution tests and item discrimination indices used point biserial correlation.ResultsTwo hundred and eighty-seven participants qualified for inclusion. Participant mean pretest versus post-test scores improved 24 percentage points after course completion (43% vs 68%, p<0.001). Cronbach’s alpha yielded values of 0.86 (pretest) and 0.94 (post-test), suggesting testing instrument reliability. Between-group analyses demonstrated law enforcement and civilian participants improved more than firefighters (p<0.001). Performance on 23 of 26 questions improved significantly. All test questions except one showed an increase in their PPDI.DiscussionA 1-day, contextually adapted, 5-hour course targeting laypeople demonstrates significant improvements in emergency care knowledge. Future investigations of similar curricula should be trialed in alternate low-resource settings with increased civilian participation to evaluate efficacy and replicability as adequate substitutes for longer courses. This study suggests future courses teaching emergency care for lay first responders may be reduced to 5 hours duration.Level of evidenceLevel II.


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