Nebraska Bill Proposes Specific Dementia Training for Memory Care Staff

The Nebraska chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association has introduced a bill in the state legislature that specifies the type of training direct care staff must receive to work with patients with Alzheimer disease, dementia, and related disorders.

Nebraska law already requires memory care units in the state to provide at least 4 hours of Alzheimer and dementia training annually for direct care staff. Legislative bill 1221 goes a step further to specify that training must include: (1) an overview of Alzheimer disease, dementia, and related disorders; (2) the ways such conditions affect caregivers; (3) the fundamentals of person-centered care for patients with dementia; (4) patient-centered assessment and care planning; (5) progressive support for activities of daily living for patients with dementia; and (6) dementia-related behaviors and communication.

Current law simply requires memory care staff training on “topics pertaining to the form of care or treatment.”

McKnight’s Senior Living reported that the Nebraska Health Care Association—the parent organization of the Nebraska Assisted Living Association, the Nebraska Nursing Facility Association, the Nebraska Health Care Learning Center, and the Nebraska Health Care Foundation—has concerns about the bill.

“LB1221 would specify the exact topics that must be included in that training, limiting a facility’s ability to select an Alzheimer’s and dementia topic based on their residents’ and resident families’ needs at any given time,” President and CEO Jalene Carpenter said in the report. “It would actually create a problem by cementing detailed requirements into statute and overlooking the fact that, as research, diagnostic techniques, and early treatment options evolve, that specific statutory language may no longer be valid.”

LeadingAge Nebraska, a network of nonprofit providers of housing and services for older adults, expressed support for the proposed change. “The vast amount of research being conducted regarding the care and treatment for those experiencing Alzheimer’s and other dementias is changing rapidly,” CEO Kierstin Reed said in the McKnight’s Senior Living article. “We want to ensure that those working with this population stay current on the best practices of caring for those with these diagnoses.”

References

Legislature of Nebraska. Legislative bill 1221. 108th legislature. 2nd session. Accessed January 25, 2024. https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/108/PDF/Intro/LB1221.pdf

Bonvissuto K. Memory care staff would receive dementia-focused training under proposed bill. McKnights Senior Living. January 22, 2024. Accessed January 25, 2024.