The Continuous Learning Needs of Personal Support Workers Who Care For People Living with Dementia in Long-Term Care
Abstract
Personal support workers (PSWs) comprise over half of the long-term care (LTC) workforce who care for people living with dementia yet are considered less skilled compared to other healthcare professionals. Improvements to dementia education from the perspectives of PSWs are under-explored. To address this gap, this study investigated PSW perspectives of their dementia-specific learning needs in LTC. Guided by Interpretive Description (Thorne, 2016) and adult learning theory (Knowles, 1990), four major learning needs were discerned through a secondary qualitative analysis: understanding dementia, addressing responsive behaviours, person-centered communication and attitudes, and delirium. Learning needs are best met in supportive environments with experiential methods that involve peer learning, feedback, and evaluation. Successful learning is mediated through an openness to learning and a good teamwork culture. The findings underscore the importance of ongoing dementia education tailored to the needs of PSWs, with implications for future training programs aimed at improving dementia care.