Providers in New Hampshire are looking to amend a newly effective state law that sets minimum training requirements for facility staff members who care for people with dementia, including Alzheimer’s.
“We are committed to culturally competent dementia care. We are already providing it. We will comply with any legal mandate, but do want it to be practicable,” Brendan Williams, president and CEO of the New Hampshire Health Care Association, told McKnight’s.
The law, which went into effect Jan. 1, was part of the state budget passed by the state lawmakers in September. The minimum training requirements apply to staff members working in residential homes or community-based programs with people who have forms of dementia, according to an Associated Press report. Direct-care workforce staff members, including staff at nursing homes and assisted living facilities, must also complete the training requirements, the Union Leader reported.
Williams said the organization wants the law to be more “practicable and prospective” for providers. One change providers are pushing for would allow for the use of a variety of training resources for staff members and not just rely on the Alzheimer’s Association curricula, as the current law requires.
He argued that “no additional funding accompanied this new mandate for its Medicaid share-of-cost.”
“So we are wary of new unfunded mandates that may make it harder to recruit and retain staff. An early state implementation draft would apply the new law even to volunteers,” Williams said.
Williams added that the law is redundant, noting that federal regulations already require facilities and staff members to undergo training and provide “proper dementia care” to residents.
He also said New Hampshire state law requires licensed nursing assistants to undertake 100 hours of training, which includes training in emotional support for how to respond to residents with dementia or cognitive impairments.
“Hopefully, we can get to a result here that works for everybody,” Williams said.
LeadingAge Maine & New Hampshire did not return a request for comment from McKnight’s by production deadline.
