UC IRVINE AND CENTER FOR CAREGIVER ADVANCEMENT LAUNCH DEMENTIA TRAINING COURSES TO ADDRESS FUTURE DEMAND
Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease in California to Increase 20% by 2025
LOS ANGELES, CA – [February 9, 2024] – To meet the anticipated growing number of dementia and Alzheimer’s cases in California, the University of California, Irvine (UC Irvine), the Center for Caregiver Advancement (CCA), and Alzheimer’s Orange County have announced the launch of a free eight-module virtual training course for caregivers of those diagnosed with dementia in southern California. A 2023 report from the Alzheimer’s Association predicts cases of Alzheimer’s disease in California will increase by more than 20% between 2020 and 2025.
To meet the increasing anticipated needs of populations diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, the number of caregivers must grow significantly. Currently, more than 11 million Americans provide unpaid care for a family member or friend with dementia, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.
In California, more than 1 million Alzheimer’s caregivers provide 1.8 billion hours of unpaid care. Caregiving can have a profound impact on the health of the individual providing the care, associated with higher levels of depression, anxiety, medication use, compromised immune function, and vulnerability to elder abuse.
CCA’s multi-week, virtual evidence-based caregiver training, was developed in collaboration with UCI Health geriatricians, Alzheimer’s Orange County, and funded by a California Department of Public Health grant. The live training will be offered via Zoom and participants can enroll now through March 2024. To qualify for the free training, participants must be either an unpaid caregiver for persons with dementia or a family member designated as the caregiver for persons with dementia (paid or unpaid) living in Southern California.
The program will train caregivers on effective communication strategies to support activities of daily living (ADLs), safety, and the management of symptoms and distress for those diagnosed with ADRD (Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias). Caregivers will learn how to prevent caregiver burnout and stress mitigation. Caregivers will also learn proactive strategies to prevent challenging situations and reduce caregiving stress.
The course is specifically designed for family (or unpaid) caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD).
CCA, with its expertise in curriculum development and caregiver training programs, will deliver the training in English and Spanish. CCA’s ADRD program for In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) providers has proven to impact those who completed the training: 96% say they learned new skills and 94% say their communication with the person they’re caring for improved.
UC Irvine will conduct an educational assessment of the family caregiver training program, comparing caregiver health and stress levels before and after training, as well as skills and knowledge competency. The assessment will also evaluate caregiver behavior change to measure the impact of the training on the person receiving care.
About the Center for Caregiver Advancement
The Center for Caregiver Advancement (CCA), is the largest provider of training for caregivers in California and has trained more than 20,000 nursing home workers and in-home caregivers. advancecaregivers.org The CCA is committed to improving care and building better lives for caregivers in California and the people they serve. We measure our impact through improved wages and career development for caregivers, the quality of care for their consumers, and reducing the stress on California’s over-burdened healthcare system.
About the University of California, Irvine Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology
The Division of Geriatric Medicine & Gerontology at the UCI School of Medicine is made up of an interdisciplinary group of professionals whose mission is to address the changing health needs of older adults and those who love them. We are committed to delivering high-quality, comprehensive care in a variety of settings and to providing leadership in geriatric education, research, advocacy, and community outreach. The skill and dedication of our physicians to elder care has led to UCI Medical Center being named repeatedly as one of the nation’s best hospitals for geriatric care by U.S. News & World Report.
