In the proposed Phase 1 Project, we will develop and test an innovative product called HOME 4 CARE (the Hearthstone Optimized Multimedia Environment for Care-planning, Activities, Recreation, and Education), which will be the first commercially-available mobile software suite designed to improve the quality of care provided by home health workers to persons with dementia. The suite will consist of three main components/functions, each of which relates to different, but equally important, aspects of caring for persons with dementia (PWD) in a Home Care Environment (HCE). These three components are: 1) Dementia-specific Care Planning (DCP), 2) Dementia Education for Homecare Staff (DEHS), and 3) Therapeutic Recreation (activities) for Homecare Patients (TRHP). The H4C Suite (H4CS) will be designed to operate on 9-10 inch tablets. In Phase 1, we will develop the foundation of and initial content for, each of the three tiers. These include the Information Gathering Module of the DCP, three foundational courses on dementia care for home health aides (HHAs), and three different types of tablet-based activities for persons with dementia to use on the home health aides tablet computer. In the Phase 2 project, three further developments will occur. First we will create the Goals Section of the DCP module, building on the foundation of the Information Gathering platform. This will enable home health agencies to utilize a care-planning tool designed specifically for staff serving persons with dementia. This tool will enable case managers and administrators to create mobile, electronic calendars and task lists for HHAs, which will give them a clear purpose throughout the day while working with a client with dementia. These calendars and tasks lists are becoming essential in these days of multi-caregiver environments. The calendar will serve a very practical purpose of making HHA's aware of the client's appointments with case managers, social workers, rehabilitation staff, physicians, etc. It will even help with grocery shopping. Beyond these practical uses, the calendar will also enable supervisors to schedule meaningful activity (TRHP) for the PWD on a regular basis, thereby potentially increasing the client's engagement, affect, and quality of life (CITE). The calendar could also be used to schedule staff education during downtime (DEHS). This integrated approach to care of dementia is much needed in the home health market. In Phase 2, we will also create seven additional, 30-minute long training modules on specific topics in dementia that are directly related to home health staff. This will bring the total to the 10 foundational topics of dementia care for product launch at the end of the study. Finally, in Phase 2, we will develop a fourth type of activity programming, ultimately creating 12 sets of content fo each of the four activity types, for an overall total of 48 activities at product launch. Long-term plans after launch include developing additional educational modules and activities for use with the H4C system.
NIH ExPorter
NIH ExPorter