Outcomes Research Overview

CareAcademy prides itself on its ability to meet all caregivers wherever they are on their learning journey. Our classes are easy to complete and increase caregiver knowledge in topics relevant to delivering high-quality care in the home regardless of whether you are a new caregiver or a veteran in the industry.

In our current case study, we sought to measure the impact of our dementia care training on entry-level caregivers or those who have limited or no professional experience. Approximately 260 prospective caregivers were invited to participate from our 2020 Future of Work program, a CareAcademy initiative that committed free training to up to 10,000 people displaced by the Pandemic who were interested in building a new career caring for our most vulnerable. The study included a demographic survey, a pre-test assessment to establish a knowledge baseline, 3-hours of training, a post-test to assess knowledge gains, and a self-efficacy survey. Twenty-one caregivers completed all components of the study, and their results are the focus of this study.

Participants in our study consisted of mostly women who reported some informal caregiving experience, helping adults with self-care needs and/or household tasks. Participant ages were approximately evenly split between those older than 50 and those younger. Although it was not required to participate, 90% of participants shared that they had some exposure to an older adult living with dementia. Their experiences ranged from only some interactions with older adults living with dementia to experience as a primary caregiver for an older adult living with dementia.