Staff Story: Charlotte
We recently caught up with Charlotte, a Resource Specialist delivering Trualta in Joplin, Missouri. As an early Trualta user, she has an interesting perspective on how she uses Trualta to engage families.
How are you using Trualta with your dementia caregivers?
We offer Trualta through a program sponsored by the Department of Health & Senior Services. We offer print booklets to participants in the program, including Personal Care, Brain Health and Safety & Injury Prevention, as well as send them an invite to the digital program. I usually sit down with caregivers during my home visit and spend about ten minutes showing them how to use the portal. I like to do a few lessons with them, so they see how easy it is to use.
I email or call them after two weeks to remind them to log in, because I can see their participation in the Dashboard. If they are having problems, we can troubleshoot.
While awareness of the program was originally low, we recently expanded our marketing – including newsletters and social media posts – that have attracted more interest from families.
Can you tell us a story about a caregiver using the program?
Mary is interesting – her parents moved in with her a few months ago, from California. Her Dad has dementia and her mom is not handling it well – there is some denial there – so Mary is doing most of the caregiving. She has focused on learning skills to manage behavioral symptoms, including the expert-level training videos. The program was so helpful for her that she shared her login with her sister, and the grandkids are using it too! Wait… is sharing logins allowed?!
What do you love about Trualta?
I love that I have another tool I can give them, and it’s easy for me to explain it. I want to get more people to use it!
I have completed most of the material myself and love what’s included in the library – often things I didn’t think of, like lessons on shaving and showering, that are so important and helpful for families. I am also a big fan of the quizzes, which really prove that the caregiver completed the module and learned something.
The training and onboarding was smooth and easy. I was originally scared about that but everything was easy to understand!
Contact us if you would like to speak with staff using Trualta’s portal! They are happy to share their experience. Leda Rosenthal, Director of Growth (Leda@Trualta.com, 1-800-214-5085 ext 1) can help facilitate an introduction.
