scholarly journals A Massive Open Online Course to Educate Healthcare Professionals & Caregivers About Alzheimer’s Disease

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 759-759
Author(s):  
Mary DiBartolo

Abstract Over 6 million Americans and 50 million persons worldwide are estimated to have Alzheimer’s disease (AD) as it remains the major cause of dementia in the older adult population. Both healthcare professionals and family caregivers struggle with the complexities of caring for individuals with this progressive neurological disease. To address the ongoing knowledge and care gap regarding Alzheimer’s disease among both healthcare professionals and family caregivers, a comprehensive massive open online course (MOOC) was developed and made available via the edX platform. MOOCs are open access and interactive courses offered via the web; they have emerged as a popular, self-paced mode of distance learning. Launched in 2020, the MOOC titled, Alzheimer’s Disease & Dementia Care, consists of five modules reviewing symptoms, diagnosis, medications, communication and care tips, as well as a module outlining special considerations when the person with AD is hospitalized. While this educational strategy targets healthcare professionals (such as nurses, physical therapists and related practitioners), it is also designed for lay caregivers or anyone who wants to learn more the disease. The course utilizes a variety of teaching modalities and is free. To date over 7000 persons have enrolled from over 140 countries. MOOCs remain an innovative and engaging educational strategy to reach a global audience. More importantly, they can serve as an another outlet to enhance both the competence and confidence of both healthcare professionals and family caregivers by sharing best practices in caring for those with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Sandra Roberta Ridley

<p>Older patients with a cognitive deficit, such as seen in Alzheimer's Disease (AD), have not been extensively researched in ED. Often patients with AD are accompanied by a familiar person such as a family caregiver when they present to an acute care facility. Literature has shown that family caregivers' have reported dissatisfaction with interaction with healthcare professionals in inpatient settings. There is a paucity of research on the experiences family caregivers have in ED. This study explored the experiences of family caregivers of people with Alzheimer's Disease in the ED of a regional hospital in New Zealand. A Hermeneutic phenomenology method was used to bring meaning to the lived experience of family caregivers in the ED. Ricouers Interpretation theory was used to analyse and interpret the data. Six family caregivers were interviewed, using semi-structured interviews, to explore and give meaning to their experience. Findings revealed family caregivers were 'sidelined'; felt invisible, ignored and abandoned by the healthcare professionals in ED. There appeared to be little understanding about dementia symptoms, or the needs of caregivers of people with AD. The experience was distressing for participants who felt they were not able to relay information about their loved one that was pertinent to their health and presenting symptoms. Health Professionals tended to speak directly to their loved ones and not with the participants. Consequently there was a risk of misinformation and poor communication driving treatment decisions for these patients. Participants reported poor information giving and family caregivers were left for long periods of time with no contact, and no support. Despite this, caregivers justified and excused the actions of healthcare professionals. They became passive recipients of process and procedures that were not adequately explained.</p>


Dementia ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 1492-1506 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Robertshaw ◽  
Ainslea Cross

Background Integrated Care for dementia is an increasingly popular approach to supporting people with dementia, bringing services together to form a single cohesive provision for service users. This approach is still in its infancy but has the potential to improve the management of dementia, social care and to enhance the patient experience. Aims To understand views and experiences of integrated health and social care for dementia from the perspective of carers, families, healthcare professionals and researchers. Methods Crowdsourcing views and experiences from ‘Bridging the Dementia Divide’, a massive open online course at the University of Derby, provide a rich source of qualitative data from carers, families and healthcare professionals. We analysed 847 massive open online course discussion board posts using a Framework Analysis approach. Results Participants described how Integrated Care for dementia should be person-centred and holistic, involving a multidisciplinary team of health and social care practitioners, as well as the patient, the family and the wider community. The establishment of Integrated Care for dementia was viewed positively.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Sandra Roberta Ridley

<p>Older patients with a cognitive deficit, such as seen in Alzheimer's Disease (AD), have not been extensively researched in ED. Often patients with AD are accompanied by a familiar person such as a family caregiver when they present to an acute care facility. Literature has shown that family caregivers' have reported dissatisfaction with interaction with healthcare professionals in inpatient settings. There is a paucity of research on the experiences family caregivers have in ED. This study explored the experiences of family caregivers of people with Alzheimer's Disease in the ED of a regional hospital in New Zealand. A Hermeneutic phenomenology method was used to bring meaning to the lived experience of family caregivers in the ED. Ricouers Interpretation theory was used to analyse and interpret the data. Six family caregivers were interviewed, using semi-structured interviews, to explore and give meaning to their experience. Findings revealed family caregivers were 'sidelined'; felt invisible, ignored and abandoned by the healthcare professionals in ED. There appeared to be little understanding about dementia symptoms, or the needs of caregivers of people with AD. The experience was distressing for participants who felt they were not able to relay information about their loved one that was pertinent to their health and presenting symptoms. Health Professionals tended to speak directly to their loved ones and not with the participants. Consequently there was a risk of misinformation and poor communication driving treatment decisions for these patients. Participants reported poor information giving and family caregivers were left for long periods of time with no contact, and no support. Despite this, caregivers justified and excused the actions of healthcare professionals. They became passive recipients of process and procedures that were not adequately explained.</p>


Author(s):  
Hermano Carmo ◽  
Teresa Maia e Carmo

A sociedade contemporânea é marcada por três macrotendências que a identificam como uma sociedade singular na história humana: processo de mudança acelerada, desigualdade crescente e fibrilhação dos sistemas de poder. Tais tendências têm tido como efeitos um quadro de ameaças e oportunidades que tanto têm constituído gigantesco desafio aos sistemas educativos quanto configuram a urgência de ressocialização de todas as gerações vivas no sentido da construção de uma cidadania global. Nesse contexto, propõe-se um modelo que configura uma estratégia de educação para a cidadania, com dois eixos, quatro vertentes e dez áreas-chave. Seguidamente, descreve-se e discute-se a emergência quase explosiva dos Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) a partir de instituições de ensino superior internacionalmente reconhecidas, no quadro do novo paradigma digital, sua diversidade e seu potencial ainda em aberto. Confrontando a nova abordagem educativa com o modelo de educação para a cidadania proposto, conclui-se constituir um meio robusto para o potenciar.Palavras-chave:Conjuntura. Macrotendências. Educação para a cidadania. MOOC. Tecnologia educativa. Paradigma digital.Link: http://revista.ibict.br/inclusao/article/view/4171/3642


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