A randomised, controlled evaluation of the ‘beyondblue depression training program for aged care staff’: Impact on the delivery of health care services for older people with depression

INTERVENTION: The intervention is a training programme for care staff in the precognition and detection of depression. Personal carers in residential facilities and direct carers in community services will participate in five 1.5 hour training sessions over 5 weeks that provide information on the nature and prevalence of depression amongst the elderly, symtoms and comorbidities. They will be taught to use a simple checklist of depression symtomatology, how to communicate with older depressed people, how to respond to depression, and how to facilitate referral of depressed people to appropriate services. Registered Nurses (residential) and Case managers (community) will particpate in these four sessions and two further 2 hours sessions focused on the use of standardised instruments to assess for depression, and liaison with General Practitioners. CONDITION: Depression PRIMARY OUTCOME: Improved detection rates of depression among their care recipients and a higher number of referrals to medical services Improved self‐efficacy in relation to caring for older people with depression as assessed by the Self‐Efficacy in Working with Late‐Life Depression Scale; SECONDARY OUTCOME: Improved care practices as assessed by Scale of Nursing Performance, and by directly comparing carers' assessments of the levels of depression among a sample of 10 care recipients from each residential service with assessments made by a Clinical Psychologist who will use the Structured Clinical Interview Schedule for Axis I Disorders Improved knowledge of late‐life depression and more positive attitudes to the care of older people with depression, as measured by Knowledge of Late‐Life Depression Scale and the Attitudes to Depression Questionnaire INCLUSION CRITERIA: Care staff and care managers in community based aged care services and low level care residential facilities speak English