Education and Training

The Utah Geriatrics Education Consortium (UGEC) was a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) funded Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP) from 2015-2024. The UGEC provided age-friendly and dementia friendly training to health professions students, clinicians, direct care workers and families. Free online UGEC training programs can be assessed through the links under each course name.

Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementia (ADRD)

Dementia Training

Expert faculty and clinicians at the University of Utah have created a series of free online training modules to help increase knowledge about Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) and improve care of residents with dementia. These trainings are designed for patients, family members, and direct care employed in post-acute or long-term care settings.

The online educational program is divided into four modules that, in total, will take 2-3 hours to complete. The topics covered in each module include:

  • Dementia: Causes, Symptoms, & Progression
  • Treatment Options for Challenging Behaviors
  • Effective Interprofessional Care Teams
  • Dementia-Focused Communication Techniques

Click HERE to access the ADRD Modules. Further instructions on completing the course will be listed on the home page of the modules. Thank you for taking the time to learn more about Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias!

Age-Friendly Care Training Courses

The Age-Friendly Care Training consists of three courses: 1) Geriatric Core Competencies; 2) Communication, Care Transitions and End-of-Life Conversations; and 3) Fundamentals of QAPI. 

Each topic area contains objectives, background information, learning activities, and resources. Links to sources are embedded throughout the course, including in the Background, Key Terms, and Additional Resources subsections. Following each topic is a "Test Your Knowledge" 10-question, non-graded quiz, which is designed as a learning activity. This online training course is designed to be self-paced.

Note, to access the College of Nursing Catalog where the Age-Friendly Care Training courses are stored, you will need to create an account with the University of Utah Canvas program. If you’ve never enrolled in a course before

The Age-Friendly Care Training: Geriatric Core Competencies course provides a foundation of essential knowledge and skills in the delivery of high-quality care to older adults. The content focuses on aging as a normal developmental process and assessment of the older adult, paying particular attention to geriatric syndromes that often negatively impact this population. Key recommendations and evidence-based practice from the Hartford Institute of Geriatric Nursing are embedded throughout the course. Topics covered include: Age-Friendly Health Systems Initiative; Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA); Normal vs. Atypical Aging Changes; Geriatric Syndromes I: 4Ms Mobility and Medication; Geriatric Syndromes II: 4Ms Mentation and What Matters Most; and Additional Geriatric Syndromes and Conditions.

Click this LINK to access the Geriatric Core Competencies course!

 

The Age-Friendly Care Training: Communication, Care Transitions, and End-of-Life Conversations course covers communication skills building strategies, tools for improving care transitions, and information about Advance Care Directives (ACD) and Advance Care Planning (ACP). The course also examines leadership responsibilities, reliance strategies, caregiver roles and support services in the community. Topics covered include: Communication, Collaboration, and Team-Based Care; Care Transitions and Care Quality; Leadership, Roles and Resilience; Family Caregivers, Resources and Respite Services; and Palliative and End-of-Life Care Conversations.

Click this LINK to access the Communication, Care Transitions, and End-of-Life Conversations course!

 

The Age-Friendly Care Training: Fundamentals of Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QAPI) provides a foundation on developing a performance improvement project (PIP). The course is designed to enhance LTSS professionals' knowledge on the purpose and significance of QAPI plans, and covers the five elements of a successful QAPI within skilled nursing facilities and home health and hospice organizations. The course provides step-by-step instructions on starting a quality improvement project, including developing a project charter and identifying the project team. Topics covered include: What is a QAPI; Essential Elements of QAPI; Opportunities for Improvement and Data Sources; Developing a Project Charter and Selecting the PIP Team; and Systematic Analysis and Systemic Actions.

Click this LINK to access the Fundamentals of Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QAPI) course!

Goals of Care Conversation

The UGEC Goals of Care Conversations (GoCC) Training course is designed to help the long-term services and supports (LTSS) and ambulatory care workforces conduct high-quality goals of care conversations about life-sustaining treatments and services. The UGEC GoCC training materials were adapted from and made available for public use through the VA National Center for Ethics in Health Care. Original materials are available for download from the VA National Center for Ethics in Health Care GoCC Training. 

Dr. Shaida Talebreza, Palliative Care and Geriatric Physician with the Salt Lake City VA Health Care System and the University of Utah, created the video presentations for this online course. This course will take 1-2 hours to complete, and consists of the following three modules:

  1. Introduction to Goals of Care Conversations & Life-Sustaining Treatment Plans (24 min)
  2. Responding to Emotions (26 min)
  3. Framework for Conducting Goals of Care Conversations and Establishing Life-Sustaining Treatment Plans (50 min)

Here is the direct link to the Goals of Care Conversations course HERE.

In order to access the College of Nursing Catalog where the UGEC Goals of Care Conversations (GoCC) training is stored, you will need to create an account with the University of Utah Canvas program. If you’ve never enrolled in a course before, create your free account. If you’ve already registered, enroll through your current account. When you click the link above to the training course, you will be redirected to a Canvas page that will ask you to either log in or create a new account.

To access the course later, go to your Dashboard. For more information on using your Dashboard, see this tutorial. 

Managing Opioid Use in Long-Term Services and Supports

These interprofessional modules for students, health care providers and LTSS staff are centered around opioid use, including topics such as:

  • Reasons for prescribing opioids to treat acute and chronic pain
  • Pharmacology of opioid use in older adults with multiple chronic conditions including dementia
  • Appropriate prescribing of opioids in nursing home residents
  • Opioid misuse in nursing home residents including assessment and treatment
  • Non-opioid pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic pain management regimens

Click the links below to review each module!

Module 1: Opioid use in long-term care

Module 2: Opioids and risks in older adults

Module 3: Opioid use in older adults with dementia

Module 4: Recommendations and strategies for opioid use in older adults

Module 5: Applying Opioid wisdom to long-term care

Module 6: SBIRT- A hammer or screwdriver? Choosing the right tool

Module 7: Non-opioid pharmacological & non-pharmacological pain management techniques

Module 8: Motivational interviewing
 

Motivational Interviewing

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is an evidence-based communication approach that has been adapted for the brief healthcare setting to address lifestyle management and treatment adherence issues, including chronic pain. MI has particular utility with individuals who are less motivated, less ready for change, and more angry or oppositional. Therefore, in addition to better clinical outcomes, the MI approach improves patient engagement by reducing resistance and defensiveness--an advantage when a difficult discussion ensues, such as a recommendation to taper/discontinue opioid use.

To access the Motivational Interviewing to Improve Health Coaching Skills and Support Behavior Change online training click HERE.

The Motivational Interviewing module is stored on the University of Utah Canvas program. If you’ve never enrolled in a course before, create your free account. If you’ve already registered, enroll through your current account. When you click the link above to the module, you will be redirected to a Canvas page that will ask you to either log in or create a new account.

To access the course later, go to your Dashboard. For more information on using your Dashboard, see this tutorial. 

Person-Directed Living in Long-Term Care

This course equips nursing students, certified nursing assistant (CNA) students, and healthcare professionals working in long-term care communities with a new approach to supporting older adults through a person-directed care framework. This courses focuses on enhancing communication and relationships with older adults by understanding behaviors as expressions of unmet needs. In addition, this course emphasizes the skills needed to create a more supportive and person-directed living environments to promote positive change in long-term care settings. After completing this online program, learners will be able to:

  • Assess residents' unique needs and preferences
  • Provide holistic support that honors a person's background, culture, and values
  • Develop personalized care plans tailored to residents' desires
  • Communicate effectively using the Person-Directed Care Framework to enhance care delivery

Here is the direct link to the Person-Directed Living in Long-Term Care course HERE.

In order to access the College of Nursing Catalog where the UGEC Goals of Care Conversations (GoCC) training is stored, you will need to create an account with the University of Utah Canvas program. If you’ve never enrolled in a course before, create your free account. If you’ve already registered, enroll through your current account. When you click the link above to the training course, you will be redirected to a Canvas page that will ask you to either log in or create a new account.

To access the course later, go to your Dashboard. For more information on using your Dashboard, see this tutorial.

Roles in Long-Term Services and Supports

Learn more about the long-term care and end-of-life industries from those who work in them. Presenters describe typical work responsibilities, discuss important qualifications and characteristics of successful employees, and give tips on where to learn more or get started. Workers share what they love about their jobs as well as its challenges, while care beneficiaries share why their care team means so much to them! Scroll down the page to view all videos. 
 

Hospice Module - Prepare for a great hospice career by learning the important professional skills and the possible challenges that take place. Learn about who is served by hospice, common misconceptions, and who is part of the team. Listen to family and patient experiences in their own words. Watch HERE. Please take this SURVEY  after the module.

Home Health Licensed Professionals Module - This webinar details what home care is, the types of home care, and how it compares to personal care and hospice. Learn about work responsibilities and what a successful career path looks like as a home health professional. Watch HERE. Please take this SURVEY after the module.

Home Health Aide Module - This webinar details what home care is, the types of home care, and how it compares to personal care and hospice. Learn about work responsibilities and what a successful career path looks like as a home health aide. Watch HERE. Please take this SURVEY after the modules.

Personal Care Aide Module - Learn about home care, the types of home care, and why a personal care aide is an amazing career path. Watch HERE. Please take this SURVEY after the module.

Skilled Nursing Facility Licensed Professional Module - This webinar details what a skilled nursing facility (SNF) is, the services provided, career growth opportunities, and who makes up the SNF team. It also highlights the challenges and the skills/requirements that are needed to work here. Watch HERE.

Skilled Nursing Facility CNA Module - Learn what a skilled nursing facility (SNF) is, the services provided, career growth opportunities, and what the CNA role looks like. Gain an understanding of what success looks like in a SNF, the requirements to be a CNA, and certification information. Watch HERE.

Assisted Living Module - This video shares the value and benefits of working in an Assisted Living Community through support, encouragement, personal and professional growth, and lifelong connections and relationships. It includes a glimpse of what the daily life looks like in assisted living! Watch HERE.

Telehealth in LTSS Online Course

Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Telehealth

Adoption of telehealth, in response to COVID-19, has been necessary for Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) providers, especially for nursing homes with COVID-19 units.Therefore, it is imperative that LTSS staff and providers are knowledgeable about telehealth principles and best practices in their respective settings. In addition, LTSS nurses need distance-based education to improve geriatric assessment and communication skills in order to provide assistance for telehealth visits.

Connecting Care Through Telehealth is an online course designed to inform and improve best practices when using telehealth and virtual services in LTSS settings. Informed by the Age-Friendly Health Systems 4Ms framework, content is tailored for providers and care-teams, residents/patients, and families and caregivers within nursing homes, assisted living communities, and home health and hospice organizations. This course is hosted on the Northwest Regional Telehealth Resource Center's (NRTRC) website, and consists of five modules:

  • Module 1: Introduction to Telehealth and Virtual Services in Long-Term Services and Supports
  • Module 2: Connectivity and Setting up a Telehealth Visit
  • Module 3: Best Practices for Facilitaing a Successful Telehealth Visit
  • Module 4: Monitoring Telehealth and Virtual Services in Quality Improvement Programs
  • Module 5: Tele-Visits Tutorials for Patients/Residents, Families and Caregivers

In addition to resources (described below), course modules also include technology troubleshooting tips, communication etiquette, and tools that can be modified to the needs of each LTSS setting. To enroll in this course, click HERE.