Virtual training of CNAs as essential dementiacare personnel in the Age of COVID-19

Objective: This project applies a virtual reality (VR) based curriculum to train certified nursing assistants (CNAs) about the realities of living with dementia. The VR vignette portrays a Latinx woman, Beatriz, through progressive stages of Alzheimer's disease, giving the CNA an immersive first-person dementia experience. Background: Long-term care facilities account for nearly 43% of US COVID-19 deaths. More than 50% of CNAs are racial minorities and over 90% are women. While all CNAs face risks, preexisting inequities for workers of color place them at higher risk for work-related burnout and COVID-19 infection. Despite providing the majority of direct care, CNAs are amongst the most under-resourced and under-trained frontline workers. Given their essentiality, it is critical to support and enable CNAs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/Methods: Chicago Methodist Senior Services (CMSS) CNAs were recruited (N=8, 88% female, 88% Black or African American) and engaged in a seven-week training program, spending 1.5 hours in an online class per week. Each class included a didactic lecture, a virtual reality module from Embodied Labs depicting a first person experience of dementia, and a recorded focus group. CNAs completed the UCLA Geriatric Attitudes Scale, Interpersonal Reactivity Index surveys, and a COVID-19 Impact questionnaire. Formal qualitative content analysis and quantitative statistics on change in dementia knowledge scores, ageist attitudes, cognitive experience, and sensory impression of the activity are pending. Results: CNA feedback indicated that they gained increased confidence and understanding in caring for PWD. Focus groups and discussions allowed the CNAs to talk about changes in resident behavior and support one another through a virtual platform while working in a global pandemic. Conclusions: Combining traditional didactic lectures with VR-based curriculum provided CNAs with both foundational knowledge and first-person perspective in caring for PWD. Participants reported greater levels of insight and empathy while working with their residents, citing the immersive VR curriculum.