ALL assisted living (adult residential care) staff will be required to receive dementia-specific training under new regulations adopted under Act 571, passed by the legislature in 2008. Providers will be required to have all existing staff trained by January 1, 2011. Click on the link below to view the rules governing these training requirements which were adopted by DHH in February 2010:
Hours Required & Topics To Be Covered The number of hours of training required under Act 571 depends on whether the community has an Alzheimer’s Special Care Unit (ASCU) defined as: "any adult residential care provider…that segregates or provides a special program or special unit for residents with a diagnosis of probable Alzheimer's disease or related disorder so as to prevent or limit access by a resident to areas outside the designated or separated area, or that advertises, markets, or otherwise promotes the facility as providing specialized Alzheimer's/dementia care services." (from ARCP rules, §6803. Definitions)
We have prepared a quick reference summary of the hourly requirements and topics to be covered in the dementia staff training. Click on the link below to access this document:
Curriculum Approval Required Per the rules adopted by DHH, providers must use a curriculum that has been approved to meet the training requirements mandated under Act 571. Our Lady of the Lake Health Career Institute (HCI) has been selected by DHH to serve as the oversight organization responsible for reviewing and approving curricula to be used for this staff training. Providers may submit a curriculum for review and approval, or they may purchase training and/or training materials from a vendor who received approval of their training programs. For more information on the curriculum review process, the curriculum requirements, fees, etc., please go to www.ololhci.com (scroll down the page and select the "Dementia Curriculum Approval" link).
Click on the link below to download a summary listing of the curricula that have been approved for Adult Residential Care as of 12/31/10. This list includes only those curricula and/or training services that are available to all adult residential care providers (does not include curricula submitted by adult residential care providers or curricula approved for nursing facilities). For a complete list of the approved curricula, please go to www.ololhci.com.
