The Silverchair Learning Center
Welcome to the Self-Learner Virginia Health Care Association Online Education website. Self-Learner Virginia Health Care Association has partnered with Silverchair Learning Systems to provide access to an online curriculum you can use to fulfill some of your continuing education needs.

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Available Courses

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About Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

The course gives nurses working with a geriatric population a review of a common pulmonary disease among the elderly, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). After completing this course, nurses should be better able to understand current medical treatments and how to provide a higher care level for residents with COPD.

About Diabetes

Nurses working with a geriatric population will encounter diabetes frequently. This course covers the basics of the disease and the current medical treatment. This course will help the student be better able to assess the needs of and provide care for diabetic residents as well as problem-solve common medication concerns.

About Heart Disease

Heart disease is the main cause of death and disability for both men and women worldwide. As a nurse working in the senior care industry, you need to know about the effects of aging on the heart. Your residents may suffer from hypertension, coronary heart disease, heart valve disorders, or rhythm disorders. This course will help you identify the symptoms associated with each type of heart disease, and will discuss the diagnosis and treatment options available.

About HIV/AIDS

Professional staff working with a geriatric population are facing the new challenge of dealing with HIV/AIDS. This course provides an overview of the basics of HIV/AIDS, its transmission and the current medical treatment. This course will help the student be better able to identify this disease and intervene appropriately.

About Mental Impairment

As America’s population ages, there is a growing concern about older adults’ mental health and wellness. Mental disorders among older adults affect all aspects of healthcare. As the population ages, healthcare workers must have an understanding of common mental disorders. This course covers bipolar disorder, anxiety, schizophrenia, and depression, with an emphasis on the types of mental impairment that most often lead to rehospitalization.

About Renal Disease

Renal disease is the failure of the kidneys to perform their normal function. There are three renal disease categories: acute renal failure (ARF), chronic kidney disease (CKD), and end-stage renal disease (ESRD).

About Wound Care: Treatment and Care

Nurses working with a geriatric population will encounter wounds frequently. This course covers the basics of wound dressings and other devices used to treat wounds. It is designed to help healthcare professionals choose an appropriate wound dressing for a particular wound based on its characteristics and the person’s needs.

Care Planning in Long Term Care

In this course, you will learn about the care planning process and why the care plan is important in ensuring quality care for each resident. You will also learn about regulations that impact the care planning process and how contributing to and following the resident care plan can help your resident achieve his highest level of well-being.

CE - Embracing Diversity

An important part of a home’s culture change process is embracing the diversity of its staff and residents and educating the staff in cultural competence. This course covers the changes that a home must make when it commits to embracing diversity as part of its culture change journey.

CE - Enhancing the Dining Experience

Once a culture change journey has been adopted, changes to the dining experience are often one of the first initiatives. This course covers what changes are sometimes made to the dining experience as part of a home’s culture change journey.

CE - Person-Centered Care: A Long Term Care Cultural Transformation

Many senior care providers are embracing a new transformation called the “culture change.” This course covers culture change and how it may affect your organization. We will examine models of culture change, and we will look at the changes that are sometimes made as part of a home’s culture change journey.

Coaching: Implications for Long Term Care

The goal of coaching is to help employees enhance performance while developing the ability to learn and apply new concepts and new ways of thinking. It aims to help people solve their own problems by being creative within the scope of their responsibilities. This course covers coaching specifically in the long term care environment. It describes the benefits of coaching, discusses reasons for employees’ non-performance and identifies the steps you can take to implement a coaching approach in your facility.

Critical Thinking 101

Critical thinking is an active, purposeful, organized, outcome-directed cognitive process used to carefully examine our thinking and the thinking of others. Critical thinking is crucial to managing the flow of information that is part of everyday life in long-term care. This course covers the basic concepts involved with critical thinking.

Critical Thinking: Implications for Long Term Care Leadership

Critical thinking consists of the mental process of analyzing or evaluating information, particularly statements or propositions that people have offered as true. Critical thinking involves a set of cognitive or "thinking" skills and an intellectual commitment to using the information gained to inform and direct behavior. This course covers the critical thinking process and describes the relevance, benefits and practical ways to apply critical thinking to the long term care environment.

Ethical Decision Making in Senior Care

This course is about ethics in the workplace. It covers the basic skills needed to make the right decision in a tough situation.

F 520: Quality Assessment and Assurance

QAA stands for quality assessment and assurance. It encompasses all managerial, administrative, clinical, and environmental services and helps keep systems functioning satisfactorily and consistently. This course covers the components of the QAA process, as well as ways to comply with QAA regulatory requirements.

Introduction to Linen Management in Long Term Care

Managers in long term care communities should be familiar with basic laundry operations. This course will assist the long term care manager in overseeing a more productive and effective laundry operation. Laundry operations, laundry staffing, and soiled linen considerations will be discussed in this course.

Introduction to Maintenance Operations in Long Term Care

Managers in long term care facilities should be familiar with basic maintenance operations. This course will help managers have a more productive and effective maintenance program. The importance of maintenance, basic construction planning, and core facility systems are discussed in this first part of a four-part series.

Introduction to Profit and Loss Statement Analysis

Administrators in the senior care profession must understand and be able to analyze a profit and loss statement to better manage the financial operations of a facility. The purpose of this program is to help administrators better understand and analyze a profit and loss statement. Administrators will also learn how to analyze revenue and expenses as reported.

Linen Management in Long Term Care: Inventory and Control

Managers in long term care communities should be familiar with basic laundry operations. This course will assist the long term care manager in overseeing a more productive and effective laundry operation. Laundry inventory and control will be discussed in this course.

Linen Management in Long Term Care: Personal Laundry and General Laundry Housekeeping Issues

Managers in long term care facilities should be familiar with basic laundry operations. This course will assist the long term care manager in overseeing a more productive and effective laundry operation. We will discuss personal laundry, general laundry housekeeping issues, and energy conservation in laundry operations in this course.

Linen Management in Long Term Care: The Wash and Drying Cycle

Managers in long term care communities should be familiar with basic laundry operations. This course will assist the long term care manager in overseeing a more productive and effective laundry operation. Laundry equipment, wash cycle chemistry, and drying techniques will be discussed in this course.

Maintenance Operations in Long Term Care: Basic Concepts

Administrators in long term care facilities should be familiar with basic maintenance operations. This course will assist them in overseeing a more productive and effective maintenance program. Architectural, structural, plumbing, electrical, and life-safety concepts will be discussed in this second part of a four-part series.

Maintenance Operations in Long Term Care: Improving Your Maintenance Program

Administrators in long term care facilities should be familiar with basic maintenance operations. This course will assist them in overseeing a more productive and effective maintenance program. We will discuss corrective, preventive, and casualty-control maintenance programs, in addition to inspections and equipment history, in this fourth part of a four-part series.

Maintenance Operations in Long Term Care: Mechanical Concepts and Equipment

Administrators in long term care facilities should be familiar with basic maintenance operations. This course will assist them in overseeing a more productive and effective maintenance program. We will discuss mechanical concepts and equipment in this third part of a four-part series.

Preparing for the Quality Indicator Survey

Both the Quality Indicator Survey (QIS) and the traditional survey processes are focused on residents and on getting results. Deficiencies, both actual and potential negative outcomes, are determined through observation, medical record review, and interviews. Stage I of the QIS process includes the comprehensive staff interview, which can reveal care areas requiring further investigation. QIS team members will examine those areas of concern in Stage II, during which they may interview any staff member, resident, or resident family member. This course is designed to help staff become comfortable with the important interview process.

Preventing Adverse Medication Events

Like people of other ages, older adults take medications when they are needed, both over-the-counter and prescription drugs. The purpose of this program is to help caregivers protect older adults from adverse medication events by recognizing danger, initiating safe practices, increasing the level of assistance when needed, and teaching safe behaviors to caregivers and older people.

Preventing Burns and Scalds

2.4 million burn injuries are reported each year in the United States. Thousands of people in the United States die every year of burns and burn-related infections. The primary cause of fatal burn injuries is fire. However, burns also result from hot liquids and hot surfaces. In this program, you will learn about the causes of fires and the most common burn injuries to older people.

Preventing Choking and Aspiration

As people age, they often have a greater need for caregiver assistance, especially at mealtime. In addition, the risk of injury or death from choking and aspiration increases. The purpose of this program is to help caregivers of older adults prevent choking and aspiration.

Preventing Elder Abuse

People of all ages are dependent on others for care. As people age, the need for care increases and the risk of abuse also increases. The purpose of this program is to help caregivers of older adults prevent elder abuse.

Preventing Falls

Like people of other ages, older adults participate in a variety of activities. Many of these activities involve hazards that may contribute to a fall. This program helps caregivers protect older adults from falls. It covers death and injuries from falls, characteristics of fall injuries, aging and falls, and outlines hazards and prevention ideas.

Preventing Foodborne Illness

Foodborne illness is a significant problem for people of all ages. Older people living independently may have problems with food storage, handling, and preparation, which increase their risk of foodborne illness. People living in long-term care facilities are also at increased risk for this problem. In this course, you will learn the importance of handling foods safely and be able to recognize situations that can cause foodborne illness.

Preventing Infectious Diseases

People of all ages contract infectious diseases. As people age, there is an increased risk of developing an infection. The purpose of this program is to help caregivers of older adults prevent infectious diseases.

Preventing Malnutrition

People of all ages have important nutritional needs. As people age, however, their nutritional needs change and the risk of malnutrition increases. In this program, you will learn about the risk of malnutrition in the elderly, understanding malnutrition, aging and malnutrition, hazards and prevention ideas, and resident rights.

Preventing Problem Use of Alcohol

Many adults of all ages consume alcoholic beverages. But, as people age, the risk of problems associated with the use of alcohol increases. The purpose of this program is to help caregivers of older adults prevent problem use of alcohol.

Preventing Suicide

People of all ages experience adverse life events, changes, and losses. In each situation, they respond in ways unique to their own personalities and coping styles. Among older adults, there is an increased risk of developing depression. When people become depressed, their risk of suicide increases. This program will help caregivers recognize depression and prevent suicide in older people.

The Basics of the Quality Indicator Survey

In both the Quality Indicator Survey (QIS) and the traditional survey process, information is gathered on a sample of residents to identify the facility's compliance with the CMS federal regulations. States have been given 1 to 3 years to implement the QIS. This course covers the basics of the QIS to help employees with the transition from the traditional survey to the QIS process.

You Have the Power, Now What?

This course defines the power and influence needed to be a successful leader and explains the different types of power. The course also takes an in-depth look at how one can learn and improve skills of power and influence, practice them in the workplace or other organizations, manage conflict, and grow other leaders.