In-service training of professional and para-professional staff in institutions for the aged

An Institutional Resident Quality of Life Project conducted at six institutions throughout Israel during 1994-1997 aimed to: (1) identify and test elements in the life domains of institutional residents that affect their quality of life, and (2) introduce changes in staff attitudes and behavior toward the residents. The article deals with the supplementary training for staff in one of the participating institutions in the project, and the evaluation of this training program. The growing number of elders in the modern world demands accelerated development of community and institutional services. In turn, the growth of these services requires the training of professional and para-professional personnel, with an emphasis on the latter group in light of the more pressing need for day-to-day caregiving that para-professionals provide. Considerable efforts have been made in Israel in recent years to recruit such workers, train them before they are employed, and deal with various problems once they are on the job. The data gathered during the course of the project illuminated the significant effect of staff-resident relationships on the residents' quality of life. The supplementary training of the staff, moreover, was found to contribute to the improvement of these relationships. A decision was made, therefore, to develop ongoing training programs for professional, and especially, para-professional staff.