Symposium

Spinal Cord Injury

Clinical Practice (assessment, diagnosis, treatment, knowledge translation/EBP, implementation science, program development)

Online Education to Enhance Quality of Personal Care Assistance Services for People with Spinal Cord Injury (855557)

Presenter(s)

• 

  Jeanne Zanca, PhD, MPT, FACRM

  Senior Research Scientist
  Kessler Foundation
  West Orange, New Jersey

  Presentation Slides
• 

  John T. Morris, PhD, FACRM

  Senior Clinical Research Scientist
  Shepherd Center
  Atlanta, Georgia
• 

  Denise C. Fyffe, PhD

  Senior Research Scientist
  Kessler Foundation/Rutgers-NJMS
  West Orange, New Jersey
• 

  Trevor A. Dyson-Hudson, MD

  Director, Center for Spinal Cord Research
  Kessler Foundation
  West Orange, New Jersey

Non-presenting Author(s)

• JS

  Juan F. Segovia, BA

  Research Coordinator
  Kessler Foundation
  Park Ridge, New Jersey

Presenter(s)

• JS

  Juan F. Segovia, BA

  Research Coordinator
  Kessler Foundation
  Park Ridge, New Jersey

For many people with SCI, personal care assistance services are critical to be able to live a healthy, productive life in the community. However, current training for personal care assistants (PCAs) typically offers little information about SCI, leaving PCAs largely unprepared to work with clients with SCI.  In this symposium, we will discuss a project funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research which developed a web-based Introduction to SCI course targeted specifically to agency-based or privately hired PCAs. We will discuss the qualitative research methods and findings that informed the development of the course, present an overview of course content, and discuss how the course can be accessed and used by home health care providers, rehabilitation professionals, and clients with SCI to improve PCA training and enhance quality of assistance services for people with SCI.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify key personal care assistant (PCA) training topics identified by key stakeholders (clients with SCI, PCAs, rehabilitation professionals, PCA managers)
• Discuss the development and contents of a web-based training course and supplemental materials created to increase awareness of SCI among PCAs
• Discuss ways to access and use the course to improve PCA training and enhance quality of assistance services for people with SCI