There is a large body of research focused on family and other unpaid caregivers who fill critical needs for people living with dementia, and we know far less about those who provide care in a professional capacity and the extent to which their training and composition influence outcomes for people living with dementia. To fill this gap, the National Institute on Aging funded the new National Dementia Workforce Study (NDWS), which is an $81 million investment to create a data infrastructure that can be used to generate insights about the dementia care workforce. The NDWS consists of a family of four surveys focused on professional dementia care providers in key practice settings—Community Clinicians, Nursing Home Staff, Assisted Living Staff, and Home Care Staff. This project will describe the registered nurse, licensed practical/vocational nurse, and direct care worker employees of nursing homes and assisted living communities, based on the first round of data from the National Dementia Workforce Study.
Key Questions
- What is the education and training of dementia care staff in nursing homes and assisted living communities?
- What are the employment arrangements of these staff, including stability of work hours, wages and benefits, and structure of work assignments?
- How satisfied are nursing home and assisted living staff with their work overall and with specific attributes of their jobs?
- What experiences have staff had with communication problems, harassment, injuries, and aggression in the workplace?
For more information, contact Joanne Spetz