This 6-part free eLearning series is designed for direct service workers (DSW) and others who provide quality personal assistance to individuals with disabilities, older individuals, or anyone who receives direct care services. Each module, detailed below, focuses on various aspects of care for the individual, including mental wellness, positive supports, and prevention. This series will provide you with new strategies that will help you have a positive impact on the quality of life of those you serve. There are no Continuing Education Credits (CEU) for this training.

Each module is approximately 20-30 minutes in length and the series takes 2-3 hours to complete. You may pause in the middle of a module and return to it later, or you may complete them in one sitting.

 

Funding provided by the Money Follows the Person program.

Modules

Module 1: The Art of Effective Communication and Conflict Resolution

As the DSW, you play a crucial role on an individual’s treatment team when it comes to identifying challenging or aggressive behaviors. This module exposes DSWs to best practices for recognizing, de-escalating, and preventing challenging behavior. You will also learn strategies for determining why this type of behavior occurs and how to distinguish between when challenging behaviors are a form of communication versus a sign of a more serious mental or physical health condition. After clicking on Start module, scroll down and click on 'Enroll me' link.

Start module

Module 2: Preventing and Managing Challenging or Aggressive Behaviors

As the DSW, you play a crucial role on an individual’s treatment team when it comes to identifying challenging or aggressive behaviors. This module exposes DSWs to best practices for recognizing, de-escalating, and preventing challenging behavior. You will also learn strategies for determining why this type of behavior occurs. In addition, you will learn to distinguish between when challenging behaviors are a form of communication versus a sign of a more serious mental or physical health condition.

Start module

Module 3: Behavioral Health Basics for the Direct Service Worker

Mental health and substance use disorders may be common in individuals you support, so it is crucial to be educated about these conditions. This module teaches DSWs to identify signs and symptoms of common disorders and provide quality care to individuals actively experiencing these issues. You will learn about the importance of your active participation as a member of the individual’s treatment team and how to respond to real-life scenarios you might face with these individuals..

Start module

Module 4: Understanding Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease

Your role as a DSW might include caring for an individual with Dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. This training is designed to help DSWs learn about how dementia affects thinking, communication, and behavior. You will learn strategies necessary for communicating with individuals, addressing challenging behavior, and keeping individuals safe in their homes. As a result of this training, you will be better equipped to protect those in your care from harm while promoting their overall quality of life.

Start module

Module 5: Prevention and Containment of Communicable Diseases in Personal Care

Part of a DSWs role is being responsible for promoting the physical health and well being of those in your care. Therefore, you need to know about common infectious diseases, how they spread, and how to contain them. In this module, DSWs will learn to identify strategies regarding prevention and containment of these diseases. With this knowledge, you will be better equipped to protect both yourself and the individuals you support from potentially dangerous diseases

Start module

Module 6: Caring for the Caregiver

In order to effectively care for other people, you first have to remember to take care of yourself. This training teaches DSWs about the importance of self-care and techniques for maintaining your own well-being. You will learn about signs of physical, mental, and emotional stress and strategies for reducing these different forms of exhaustion. At the end of the training, you will be challenged to create a personal plan containing tangible steps you can take to better care for yourself.

Start module