National Certification Board for Alzheimer and Aging Care (NCBACtm) Announces New Course for Family Caregivers
Chicago, IL (PRWEB) October 20, 2016 -- According to Catherine Serie, COO of NABAC, "Many Alzheimer caregivers are home-based, especially in initial stages of the diseases - sometimes throughout. These caregivers are often selfless family members that willingly step up to the challenge with little or no preparation."
A recent report from the Alzheimer Association* indicates that as many as 15 million workers contribute 18.1 billion hours of unpaid care annually. Much, if not most of this care is provided by family members.
Serie adds, "Training is a challenge for family caregivers. They often get some basics from the patient's health care professionals, but because they are largely home-based, getting to a class or another type of group session can be difficult. We will offer the Family Caregiver course on-line. We believe this course will help students (family caregivers) better understand how the disease works and how they can best help their patients."
According to Daniel Maher, Nurse Practitioner with Rush University Senior Care, "One way ADRD is particularly challenging is that each case progresses at its own rate. Family caregivers learn about the disease by observing their patients. But because each case is different, training can help the caregiver understand the bigger picture and help caregivers with communication strategies, coping and expectations."
The Alzheimer Family Caregiver course is now in development and will be available in 2017.
NCBAC offers other courses related to ADRD. Earlier this year, their training was accredited by the Florida State Department of Elder Affairs.
NCBAC is the only independent national board that follows the healthcare certification/licensure model to administer standardized certification examinations in dementia care. The purpose of the board is to provide a benchmark for core competencies and knowledge for those who provide care and education in the field of dementia.
*2015 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures, Alzheimer's Association. 2015
Sarah Karstrand, National Certification Board for Alzheimer and Aging, http://www.ncbac.net, +1 (312) 878-8281 Ext: 105, [email protected]
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