Researchers at the LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston and Virginia Commonwealth University Department of Gerontology have received grant funding from the Retirement Research Foundation. The teams will evaluate the effectiveness of a video-based workforce training program focused on ageism.
Tracey Gendron, Ph.D., VCU Department of Gerontology associate professor, has developed a tools and workforce training approach that addresses attitudes about aging of direct care workers and their staff, as well as evaluate job satisfaction.
“Our previous research shows that attitudes about aging impact both job satisfaction and career commitment, both of which affect quality of care provided,” Gendron said.
The results from the study will help estimate whether the program changes participants’ ability to recognize and understand behaviors and attitudes around aging, said Robyn Stone, Ph.D., co-director of the LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston.
“We believe it is important to take an organizational approach to this,” she said. “Having everyone on the same page is one of the key elements of successful culture change, and can lead to longer-term impact and improved incomes.”
The program is an hour of in-service training for those working with older adults. Researchers will work with LeadingAge state affiliates in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., to recruit 45 LeadingAge members who will participate in three levels of the evaluation, slated to be conducted from March to August.
