A 6-week restorative care educational program (30 minutes weekly) was conducted for nursing assistants. A total of 523 nursing assistants from 12 nursing homes were recruited: 265 were at treatment sites and 258 were at control sites. The mean age of the participants was 38.1 years (SD 12.0). The majority were female (486; 93%) and African American (466; 89%). The nursing assistants had an average of 14.7 (SD 3.8) years of education and 11.5 (SD 8.6) years of experience. Control sites had a single 30-minute in-service on managing behavioral problems commonly associated with dementia. A total of 33% of the nursing assistants who consented to participate at the treatment sites attended all six classes, and 53% of those who did not attend at least three classes received one-on-one review of the class content. Overall, 86% of the nursing assistants who consented to participate attended the 6-week educational program. At the control sites, 18% of the nursing assistants who consented to participate attended the in-service training. There was a significant increase in restorative care knowledge (SD 2.7, F = 280.4, p < 0.05) in treatment group participants. The techniques used in this intervention were effective in helping to expose nursing assistants to educational sessions and increase their knowledge of nursing care practices.
Reprinted with permission from SLACK Incorporated.

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