First Of Its Kind Memory Disorder Prison Unit

Federal Inmates Certified As Certified Nursing Assistants, Federal Correctional Staff Certified With Specialized Certification - Seite 2

Memory Disorder Unit (MDU)
Since nursing homes are not equipped to handle violent offenders, placement of these inmates in a nursing home is not an option. Under the direction of Rear Admiral Stephen Spaulding, Warden at FMC Devens in Massachusetts, the Memory Disorder Unit (MDU) opened in July of 2019. It is the first unit specifically geared toward housing and treating inmates suffering from dementia in the Federal Bureau of Prisons and is the first unit of its kind in the prison system of the United States and abroad. Warden Spaulding chose Captain Michael Bollinger to lead the development team in planning and creating the specialized housing unit using the nursing home model.

FMC Devens' nursing home model includes policies and procedures that were specifically developed for this unit that address current best practices such as: therapeutic care using an interdisciplinary team approach, safety and security, pat searches, communication and de-escalation techniques, pharmacological management of dementia, therapeutic recreation programming, and consultations to religious services, dieticians, and physical and occupational therapists when indicated. Inmates who are in the end-stage of dementia are placed in a specialized comfort care program on the unit.

FMC Devens contacted the National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners and had twelve Nurses certified as Certified Correctional Personnel Dementia Trainers. All staff who work on the MDU are required to complete 8-hours of comprehensive Alzheimer's disease and Dementia Care curriculum developed by the National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners. The staff then receive the credential of CDTCP Certified Correctional Personnel Dementia Trained. The CCPDT trainers will continue to provide comprehensive dementia education to personnel, nursing assistants, volunteers, and clergy. The curriculum provides a better understanding of dementia, enabling staff to have the knowledge and tools necessary to respond to the challenges the staff face when working with cognitively impaired inmates.

What does the CNA Nursing Assistant Certification consist of?
FMC Devens reached out to the American Medical Certification Association (AMCA) and was subsequently approved as a testing site for nursing assistant certification. The Home Health Assistant/Nursing Assistant Certification Course is a three part program supported by the AMCA. The first part of the program provides the inmate companions with the basic ideas of the nursing assistant certification course.