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November/December 2009

LCC Nurses Receive Long-term Care Instruction

Leaders from Lansing Community College and Burcham Hills Retirement Community will celebrated on November 9 the completion of an innovative course for 32 LCC nursing students.  The training is a part of a unique partnership between LCC and Burcham Hills in developing a core curriculum for nurses who provide care for Alzheimer's and dementia patients.

"This is an exciting first step in a program that will not only train our nurses on specific care for Alzheimer's and dementia patients, but will educate nonmedical caregivers as well," says Margie Clark, RN, MSN, APRN-BC, LCC nursing careers department chair. "Ultimately, this program will benefit nurses, patients and families, as well as the community at large."

The partnership is unusual in that nursing students work directly with Burcham Hills residents with Alzheimer's and dementia.  Most nursing programs do not offer face-to-face, hands-on experience.

LCC and Burcham Hills plan to expand the new curriculum into a three-year pilot program.  The program will be developed in three phases: developing the curriculum for professional caregivers, developing the curriculum for non-professional caregivers and finally integrating the curriculum to include team roles for caregivers.

The first phase of the program has been completed and the curriculum has been incorporated into LCC's fall 2009 nursing program schedule.

Thirty-two LCC nursing students were the first to complete the training this fall.  Among them was Jessica Bowersox, who has already put the training to practical use. 

Recently, a patient with dementia was being treated at the hospital for which she works as a nurse aide. "I was able to talk to him and keep him calm," she said.

Michael R. Wolfston, Director, Burcham Hills Foundation, says the program will benefit both patients and nurses.

"Currently, there is an 85 percent turnover rate of nurses providing care in the field," says Wolfston. "This partnership will not only allow students to improve their skills and techniques in providing individualized care, but will ultimately result in improved quality of care for the patient."

The Burcham Hills Foundation has received partial funding from the Capital Region Community Foundation, Auto Owners Insurance Group, Jackson National Life Insurance Company and an anonymous donor.  The foundation has also applied for federal and state appropriations.

Other supporters of the new curriculum include the Michigan Dementia Coalition, Capital Area Michigan Works, the Prima Civitas Foundation, U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, Congressman Mike Rogers State Representatives Mark Meadows and Joan Bauer, and State Senators Gretchen Whitmer, Deb Cherry and Valde Garcia