| Primary Contact | Alternate Contact |
John V. Hobday | Media Department and |
MINNEAPOLIS, MN- January 1, 2012. HealthCare Interactive® (HCI) is pleased to announce that customers who complete CARES® Dementia Basics™ or CARES® Dementia Advanced Care™ online training programs will now be eligible to take one of two Alzheimer’s Association certification exams.
About Alzheimer’s Association® essentiALZ® Certification
The Alzheimer’s Association® essentiALZ® and essentiALZ® Plus certification programs are a convenient way for individuals to be recognized for learning quality dementia care practices. The essentiALZ program combines select HealthCare Interactive CARES® online dementia care training with Alzheimer’s Association certification exams. EssentiALZ certification is ideal for family members as well as staff at nursing homes, assisted living facilities, hospice, home health organizations, adult day programs, governmental and social service agencies, and police, fire, and other first responders.
According to Theresa Williams, National Sales Manager for HCI, “For years our customers have inquired about becoming certified in dementia care through the use of our CARES® program. It’s really exciting to tell trainees that their hard work has paid off and they can be certified in Alzheimer’s Association essentiALZ as a result–not to mention that it looks great on a resume!”
How to Get Certified in essentiALZ®
To get certified in essentiALZ, complete the CARES® Dementia Basics™ or CARES® Dementia Advanced Care™ online training programs. When you complete each program, a “CARES completion code” prints out on your CARES completion certificate. Follow the directions to redeem your completion code on the Alzheimer’s Association website to take the exam for essentiALZ (if you completed CARES Dementia Basics) or the exam for essentiALZ Plus Dementia Advanced Care (if you completed CARES Dementia Advanced Care). Once you pass the exam, you are certified for two years.
EssentiALZ and essentiALZ Plus certifications can be listed on resumes and can be celebrated by employers in organization newsletters, local newspapers, or in public displays within your building. John Hobday, CEO and Founder of HealthCare Interactive, reports that “Many of our customers tell us that having staff members certified in Alzheimer’s Association essentiALZ and essentiALZ Plus gives them a competitive advantage with their customers. Knowing that staff members have specialized knowledge in dementia basics and dementia advanced care techniques makes a real difference for families looking for care for their family members with dementia.”
About CARES®
CARES Dementia Basics is a 4-module (4-hour) program that focuses on the basics of dementia care such as person-centered care, an introduction to dementia, an introduction to understanding behavior as a form of communication, and teaching individuals or staff members an easy-to-learn approach to care called the CARES® Approach. CARES Dementia Advanced Care focuses on topics such as making a connection with someone with dementia, eating well, recognizing pain, minimizing falls, rethinking wandering, and reducing the use of restraints. Both programs are high quality and interactive—incorporating hours of video clips, vignettes, and video-based learning activities. CARES has been nationally recommended by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) as one of only three programs nationally to meet the Section 6121 mandates of the Health Reform Law.
About HealthCare Interactive
HealthCare Interactive, Inc. is addressing the growing national crisis of memory loss, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease by developing the most innovative set of training products for family members and professional caregivers available in the marketplace today. HCI was founded in 1997 by John Hobday, an educational and instructional design expert, dementia researcher, and software developer. Mr. Hobday serves as HCI’s President and CEO and is currently completing his Ph.D. in Business.
For additional information about HealthCare Interactive, visit www.hcinteractive.com, or call (952) 928-7722.
