LUTHERVILLE, MD — In response to the growing need for skills training for caregivers providing in home care and those helping their loved ones age in place, Engage with® Skills Training Programs, a national non-profit initiative of the Mental Health Association of Maryland, has converted it’s evidence-based Engage with Older Adults Skills Training Program to an “at home” training curriculum that can be accessed by anyone with an internet connection and a device with a keyboard capable of streaming video. The 4-hour skills training is divided into two 2-hour training sessions and the interface is designed to be easily navigated by anyone with even the most basic computer skills.
The Engage with® Older Adults at home Skills training reduces caregiver stress and caregiver burnout by providing individual family members, friends, and professional caregivers the opportunity to develop and refine the skills necessary to care for and effectively support elderly parents and older adults aging in place. The skills taught in this live, instructor led, virtual training were previously only available to those working in long-term care facilities. The evidenced-based skills training has been converted for the at home user who can now learn skills to enhance their ability to provide support and care for the older adult aging in place, reduce resistance to care, and develop a pragmatic approach to positively impact even the most challenging interpersonal dynamics.
The virtual skills training is taught in real time by a licensed mental health professional. The practical and interactive training focuses on topics such as demonstrating respect, reducing the impact of stigma, effective communication, engaging in meaningful ways, identifying suicide risk factors, and de-escalation.
“Our mission is to improve the lives of older adults and those who support them,” said Stephen B. Goldberg, MD, Engage with Skills Training Program’s Medical Director, and developer of the Engage with concept. “I believe that the elder care workforce shortage is a growing crisis that will affect us all. We must find ways to support the growing population of older adults. I believe our team has risen to the challenge by completing the conversion of our nationally recognized skills training program ahead of schedule, at a time when it is needed the most. We have worked around the clock to ensure family members, professional in-home healthcare workers, neighbors and friends all have access to the skills training they need to support older adults aging in place at home.”
About Engage with® Skills Training Programs
Engage with® Skills Training Programs are virtual, live, interactive, skills-based trainings led in real time by a mental health professional. The Programs use an innovative gamification approach in a virtual environment to teach practical skills to both professionals and lay people. The skills trainings have a behavioral health focus and cover topics such as mental health conditions, substance use and medication misuse, neurocognitive disorders, traumatic brain injury (TBI), aggression and de-escalation, as well as suicide risk identification. To learn more, please visit: Engage with Older Adults at home
About the Mental Health Association of Maryland
The Mental Health Association of Maryland (MHAMD) is over 100 years old and is Maryland’s only volunteer, nonprofit organization that brings together consumers, families, professionals, advocates, and concerned citizens for unified action in all aspects of mental health and mental illness. MHAMD envisions a just, humane, and healthy society in which all people are accorded respect, dignity and the opportunity to achieve their full potential free from stigma and prejudice. Engage with® Skills Training Programs are an initiative of MHAMD. To learn more, please visit: www.mhamd.org.
