Q: What are the six resident-care areas covered in the training modules on the center’s new free Web site (http://borun.medsch.ucla.edu)?A: Weight-loss prevention, incontinence management, pain screening, pressure ulcer prevention, mobility decline prevention and quality-of-life assessment. They give you what you need to know, including step-by-step interventions, to get working in a certain area. There’s also how much it costs, staffing-wise.

Q: How does this directly affect providers?

A: We’re going two routes: Finding more efficient ways of doing things and targeted interventions. We also advocate for increased staffing. You can do only so much with efficiency.

Q: What’s a key focal point?

A: We’re very aware of how staffing intensely affects care processes.And because we’re aware of that, we’re always trying to develop processes within existing resources to improve care. We’ve been very strong advocates of increased funding for staffing. Although it’s
not the only barrier to improving care, it’s the major one.

Q: What’s the next step for the site?

A: By December, people will have access to nutrition software that will allow them to monitor and hopefully improve the quality of feeding assistants for at-risk residents.

Q: Then what?

A: Our goal is to roll out the others next year. Pressure ulcers and incontinence care are the next possible areas. We’re comfortable we’ll have interventions that will work, where you can project staffing needs and if you do them, something will improve.