Maintenance of a Dementia Skills Training Program in a VA Health Care System: Evolution and Outcomes Over the Years

Purpose: With the population of veterans living with dementia projected to increase significantly, health care systems must adapt to provide consistent, person-centered care. Method: In alignment with the Age-Friendly Health Systems framework, this project evaluated the effect of the Dementia Workshop: Basics of Dementia Care, an in-person, interdisciplinary dementia training program. Staff ( N = 162) from acute, long-term, and outpatient settings attended this 8-hour workshop featuring lecture, interactive discussion, video-based scenarios, and hands-on practice. Results: Pre-post analysis using the Sense of Competence in Dementia Care Staff scale, Dementia Attitudes Scale, and Confidence in Dementia Scale revealed statistically significant improvements ( p < .001) in competence, confidence, and attitudes, with large and medium effect sizes. Conclusion: These findings support investment in interactive, multimodal training as a potential strategy to build a workforce equipped to manage complex care needs and reduce distress for veterans living with dementia.