In 2012, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services launched the Partnership to Improve Dementia Care in Nursing Homes to promote comprehensive dementia care and therapeutic interventions for nursing home residents with dementia-related behaviors.
Approaches to Implement Initiative
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) uses several approaches to successfully implement this initiative, including developing and conducting trainings for nursing home providers, surveyors and consumers; conducting research; raising public awareness; and using regulatory oversight and public reporting to increase transparency.
In addition, CMS has partnered with organizations to encourage communication among these national organizations and their members. These organizations dementia care resources include:
Training Toolkit
Section 6121 of the Affordable Care Act of 2010 requires CMS to ensure that nurse aides receive regular training on caring for residents with dementia and on preventing abuse. CMS, supported by a team of training developers and subject matters experts, created the Hand in Hand: A Training Series for Nursing Homes Toolkit to address the need for nurse aides’ annual in-service training on these important topics.
The mission of the Hand in Hand training is to provide nursing homes with a high-quality training program that emphasizes person-centered care in the care of persons with dementia and the prevention of abuse.