Results of a field test and follow-up study of a restorative care training program

Background: To implement restorative care in assisted living facilities, staff and administrators need to understand the philosophy and learn methods to help residents maintain optimal function.

Objective: In this study, researchers investigated the use of a Web-based training program to improve the restorative care knowledge, attitudes, and practices of assisted living administrators and staff.

Design: The study design was one group repeated measure to consider the impact of the training program on participant's knowledge of restorative care and restorative care techniques, attitudes toward restorative care, and self-reported practices.

Participants: Participants included 266 administrators and 203 direct care staff from assisted living facilities in eight states.

Methods: Measurements were done at baseline (pretest), following the instruction (posttest), and one month later (follow-up).

Results: Researchers found that participants (n=469) significantly improved their scores from pre- to posttest. In a follow-up study (n=244), over half of participants reported making changes at their facility as a result of the restorative care training. Most of the changes are related to care practices, such as an emphasis on encouraging, motivating, and offering positive feedback to residents.

Conclusions: Researchers concluded that there is a need for restorative care training for both administrators and staff of assisted living facilities. The study also demonstrates that a brief training session (2h or less) can bring about significant change in the learner's knowledge of facts, attitudes, and practices. It demonstrates that much of that change continues for at least 1 month after the training. It also demonstrates the loss of knowledge and points out the need for training to be followed up with continuing education and administrator encouragement. Furthermore, this study demonstrates that the Web is a feasible method of delivering restorative care training to assisted living facility administrators and staff.