Alabama’s skilled nursing care centers have new a resource to help care for people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and dementia.

The Alabama Nursing Home Association today announced a partnership with the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living, HealthCare Interactive and the Alzheimer’s Association to provide training resources. ANHA members now have discounted access to HealthCare Interactive’s CARES® Dementia BasicsTM & Advanced CareTM online training program and the Alzheimer’s Association® essentiALZ® certification program.

“Better health care begins with a properly trained workforce,” ANHA Chairman Frank Brown said. “The online training partnership we’re announcing today is with recognized leaders of the dementia care field. I encourage all of our skilled nursing care centers to take advantage of this valuable member benefit. This training will equip their employees to better care for people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and dementia.”

CARES is an online dementia care training program that is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Staff members use the program at their own pace to optimize opportunities for training and provide flexibility. CARES® is non-pharmaceutical based training that incorporates person-centered care strategies— including HCI’s trademarked CARES® Approach—throughout all of its CARES programs. In addition, individuals can become certified in the Alzheimer’s Association® essentiALZ® or essentiALZ Plus after completing CARES programs and passing certification exams. CARES is one of only three programs nationwide recommended by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

CARES is recommended by the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) to help reduce the off-label use of antipsychotic medications. AHCA/NCAL’s Quality Initiative has set a goal of reducing the off-label use of antipsychotic medications by 30% by December 2016. The Quality Initiative encourages alternative strategies for responding to challenging behavioral expressions in people diagnosed with dementia before considering medications and to ensure that antipsychotic medications, when used, are as appropriate and safe as possible.

ANHA members can find more information about CARES in the “Members Only” section of ANHA.org.