Addressing the Gaps in Nursing Assistant Curriculum: Evaluation of a Dementia-Specific Education Program

With dementia prevalence projected to exceed 152.7 million individuals worldwide in the next 25 years, the need for trained nursing assistants (NAs) in dementia care is critical. However, dementia-specific education is not required in most NA program curricula. To address this gap, a one-day Train-the-Trainer dementia education program was implemented for NA program instructors, covering dementia basics, person-centered care, simulations, teaching techniques, and classroom lessons. This quality improvement project evaluated the impact of incorporating this training into the NA curriculum on students' confidence, attitudes, and clinical practice in dementia care. Pre-evaluation data were collected from 80 NA students across three Arizona community colleges. Participants were primarily female (83.75%), aged 18 to 53 (mean = 27.86), with 46.25% knowing someone with dementia and 18.75% having prior dementia care experience. The Confidence in Dementia Scale (CODE) and Dementia Attitudes Scale (DAS) measured pre- and post-education changes. Findings showed significant improvements in confidence (25.86±8.22 to 35.94±5.72, t=-12.20, p<.001) and attitudes (103.03±14.31 to 112.68±15.22, t=-6.33, p<.001). Open-ended responses highlighted increased confidence, patience, empathy, and understanding. While instructors integrated the training into lectures and labs, time constraints and limited resources were identified as key challenges. These findings suggest that dementia-specific education enhances NA students’ confidence and attitudes, fostering greater empathy and competence in dementia care. Integrating this training into NA programs can fill critical educational gaps and better prepare future NAs to deliver high-quality, person-centered dementia care.