The PRAGRESS project aims to professional care giver, as nurses, social workers, nursing aids, in the prevention and management of challenging and aggressive behavior both in home and community settings. Aggressive behaviour is a multi parametric phenomenon that requires a complete training framework focusing on the following sections: - Raising awareness on aggressive and violent behavior - Knowledge of the causes and prevention of aggressive or violent behavior - Management and de-escalation methods for controlling aggressive behavior The PRAGRESS consortium includes in total 7 participants. DBHW, NUI Galway and TURKU AMK as academic organisations are very active in delivering education and training courses to professional and adult learners in the health and social care sectors through their Schools of Health and Well-being sciences. The care provider partners (FRODIZO, ISRAA, WW) similarly have significant expertise and experience, as well as dedicated structures for both home and residential care of older people. CHALLEDU has been chosen due to its technological background and capacity in developing multimedia content. CHALLEDU provide the technological excellence in the field of ICT learning tools and can make the project's training content not just easily accessible and comprehensive, but also fun and interactive. The activities planned include: 1. Baseline study of critical parameters that shape the overall context and nurture the phenomenon of challenging behaviour of elderly towards caregivers in home and community care 2. Training content development of PRAGRESS, based on the results from IO1, aims to provide a complete and well-structured training material in order to minimize the impact of challenging behaviour in elderly care and in LTC 3. The PRAGRESS e-learning platform will be an open educational resource environment under the format of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), offering e-learning modules adapt for use of all formal and informal caregivers and relevant lifelong learning providers, care stakeholders, older people's organizations and communities. 4. PRAGRESS pilots will be designed and applied in accordance with the education and training modules developed, and can be used for validating learning, skills acquisition, and transferability of the learner's new competencies and skills. 5. Sustainability of project outcomes and focus on providing a recognition system (digital badges) for those who participate in the training during and after the project. Results: 1) Improve the quality of life of elderly care recipients. By understanding and analyzing the causes of aggressive behavior caregivers will be able to find the right answers and build the right actions against it. 2) Improving the quality of life for the caregivers. Quality of life for caregivers especially for those engaged in LTC, is abruptly connected with high levels of strain and biological and psychological fatigue. 3) The development of a better personal relationship and communication status between caregiver and beneficiary. 4) Upgrading the skills and competences of formal and informal caregivers on the right practices and methods for safely and effectively managing a range of manifestations of verbal and physical aggression, for the safe and undisturbed delivery of valid personal care. 5. Strengthening social inclusion and discarding ageism and age discrimination through the smooth and personalized approach of long term care recipients and their motivation on their participation in social activities. Impact: • Creation of useful learning contents that will improve the quality and range of services and interventions provided; • Increased skills, competences and knowledge that they could potentially prolong their working lives. The increased skills and competences of social care professionals will also support their employability and personal development. • In addition, impact will be on the development of crucial networks with other workers (nationally and across Europe) in similar social front line professions to share knowledge and experiences in the field of battling ageism. •Using PRAGRESS e-learning platform will have great short-term impact on skills levels of social care professionals. - Create opportunities for EU collaborations and for the co-creation, adjustment and accessibility of innovative material inspired by the experiences of various individuals and organizations in the field of social inclusion and LTC of the elderly. -Inspire innovative good practices and implementation of PRAGRESS best practices in other countries and organizations (than those where they were initially conceived and implemented) via shared knowledge and expertise between all partners and stakeholders involved. - Develop a great network between VET organizations, carers initiatives, late-care centres all across Europe, as well as between NGOs and other Institutions active in 3rd age sector.
The main objectives of the project had derived from the three different needs: Break the taboo, tailormade training, Dignified life and had acknowledged article 25 The rights of the elderly (This right is enshrined in article 25 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights). Main objectives of the project have been: - Raise awareness of the problem of aggressive behavior towards formal and informal caregivers working with older care recipients.Furthermore, to make a contribution through new empirical findings and thus the further substantiation of knowledge. - Development of a skills training program with effective and evidence based strategies to prevent, manage and deescalate aggressive behavior by care recipients primarily for formal caregivers. The skills training program will be the knowledge base and be included in the development, test and evaluation of a customized training program first for formal caregivers using Open Education Resources (OER). As the project continues, the design for informal caregivers follows. Improve quality of life of care recipients; strengthen resilience and empowerment in caregivers. The project wanted to promote and uphold social inclusion and dignity of caregivers and care recipients.
The initial motivation for the project application has derived from three different needs the project had addressed. Need to break the taboo:Research points out a high prevalence of aggressive behavior towards caregivers by elderly. Prevalence varying, but ranging approximately around 1.2 incidents daily. However, it is still a taboo theme within society. Need for tailored skills training for prevention and development of coping strategies: Caregivers show deficits in applying efficient aggression management strategies. They often react to aggressive behavior with feelings of fear or sadness. Failed “coping strategies” used by caregivers seem to result in a brutalization of relationships, further reducing the dignity of the elderly care recipient. Need to establish a dignified life for the aging population: Social isolation of elderly care recipients is a common consequence by caregiver due to aggressive behavior by the care recipients. Since aggressive behavior by the elderly towards caregivers is a challenge shared by most EU countries, working together in a consortium as project PRAGRESS with the aim to create good solutions, that are reflecting the objectives of recent EU-health strategies.