HealthCare Interactive launches innovative online training program for care of those living with Serious Mental Illness (SMI)

MINNEAPOLIS, MN, USA, October 21, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- HealthCare Interactive, an edtech company dedicated to providing the highest quality caregiver training for Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and other brain disorders, announced the launch of an innovative, evidence-informed online training program to impact the care of those living with Serious Mental Illness (SMI).

In a presentation at the 72nd Annual Convention of the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) in Washington, DC, HealthCare Interactive CEO, John Hobday, presented the recently launched SMI online training as well as published research with significant findings supporting better quality of care for people with SMI living at home or in a long-term care facility.

Serious mental illnesses, such as major depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and schizoaffective disorder, are brain disorders that impact one or more of a person’s major life activities. Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) and other direct care workers are faced with cares challenges for which they are not prepared, such as outbursts associated with SMI, increased care needs, disruptive and aggressive behavioral expression, frequent cognitive and functional decline in addition to SMI, psychiatric hospitalizations, and even discharge from the facility.

Although there are a number of effective behavioral interventions, including sensory distraction, behavior therapy, and structured activities, most CNAs do not possess these skills. There is an industry-acknowledged need for advanced skills training for direct care workers to provide increasingly complex SMI care, yet very little exists to help improve and expand their training. HealthCare Interactive has spent more than five years developing a scalable, innovative solution to impact this care and training gap.

“Serious mental illness impacts approximately 10 to 15% of people over the age of 65 and can often be confused with dementia,” said Hobday. “Unlike dementia, however, SMI symptoms can change from day to day, so the amount of help care providers must provide also changes from day to day. This requires a comprehensive approach to care, but very little currently exists to adequately train direct care workers—until now. Our CARES^® Serious Mental Illness Online Training Program offers an innovative, scalable, and cost-effective solution for nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and home care organizations.”

CARES training programs are nationally recognized, award-winning, evidence-informed programs designed to improve the care for people living with a brain disorder. CARES is differentiated in the marketplace by delivering the majority of training through real-life videos (no actors) of actual staff, experts, families, and people living with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, SMI, or other brain disorders. Each program includes engaging content, interactive activities, and HealthCare Interactive’s unique 5-step method to providing improved care. This approach is easy to learn, easy to remember, and works in any difficult or frustrating care situation. It gives CNAs and other direct care workers a formula for what to do when a frustrating care scenario arises.

ABOUT AHCA/NCAL
The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) represents more than 14,000 non-profit and proprietary skilled nursing centers, assisted living communities, sub-acute centers and homes for individuals with intellectual and development disabilities. For more information, please visit www.ahcancal.org.

ABOUT CARES^®
CARES is a nationally recognized, award-winning, evidence-informed set of programs to improve your dementia-care skills. Each program includes engaging content, interactive activities, and real-life videos (no actors) of actual staff, experts, families, and people living with dementia. For a video preview of CARES Serious Mental Illness, please visit www.hcinteractive.com/SMI.

ABOUT HEALTHCARE INTERACTIVE^®
Founded in 1997, HealthCare Interactive is an edtech company headquartered in the Minneapolis and dedicated to providing the highest quality caregiver training for Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and other brain disorders. The company’s CARES^® online, video-based dementia care training, certification, and credentialing programs are widely published in academic literature and the only online dementia care training to be formally recognized by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. To learn more about these award-winning educational programs tailored to professional caregivers, organizations, and families, visit www.hcinteractive.com.

MEDIA CONTACT
Michael Jones
Jones Communications, LLC
mike@jones-communications.com
(602) 284-2831

COMPANY CONTACT
John V. Hobday
CEO and Founder
HealthCare Interactive, Inc.
jhobday@hcinteractive.com
(952) 928-7722

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John V. Hobday
HealthCare Interactive, Inc.
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