HOW DO HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS WANT TO LEARN? - SHAPING BRAIN HEALTH AND DEMENTIA PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION

Sep 29, 2026

Educational programs for brain health and dementia have expanded, yet limited evidence explains what healthcare professionals need and prefer from clinical education. The Gerontological Society of America and BrightFocus Foundation convened three virtual focus groups in July and August 2025 with 33 interdisciplinary providers from the GSA Health Sciences Section. Sessions explored delivery, length, and format preferences and dementia-related topic input, yielding priority areas aligned to the GSA KAER—Kickstart, Assess, Evaluate, Refer—framework and the Zoom In educational series. The presentation reports these findings and resulting education strategies.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages1

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

Background and rationale

Focus group design and participants

Topics explored and preferences captured

Findings and education strategies

Innovation in Aging, 2025, Vol. 9, No. S2 1273 Abstract citation ID: igaf122.4248 HOW DO HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS WANT TO LEARN? SHAPING BRAIN HEALTH AND DEMENTIA PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION Jennifer Pettis1, Nancy Keach2, Brooks Kenny3, and Lisa McGuire4, 1. Gerontological Society of America, Washington, District of Columbia, United States, 2. BrightFocus Foundation, Clarksburg, Maryland, United States, 3. BrightFocus Foundation, BrightFocus Foundation, Maryland, United States, 4. Gerontological Society of America, Atlanta, Georgia, United States The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) KAER Toolkit for Brain Health serves as a timely and impactful resource for educating health care professionals across disciplines about brain health and dementia. BrightFocus Foundation’s (BFF) Zoom in on Dementia & Alzheimer’s is a monthly information program that provides expert insights on key topics within the Alzheimer’s landscape. Despite the abundance of education content developed for healthcare professionals, little is known about professionals’ needs and preferences about clinical education. To ensure that educational content meets the needs of diverse healthcare professionals, GSA and BFF convened three virtual focus groups during July and August 2025. Thirty-three GSA members recruited from GSA’s Health Sciences Section participated. Focus groups included diverse interdisciplinary providers (e.g., doctors, nurses, social workers, physician associates, pharmacists, physical therapists) . One-hour groups were conducted by a trained facilitator, and each participant was provided with a small incentive for their time. Each group was queried about their needs and preferences regarding delivery, length, and format for clinical education and content distribution channels or sources where providers obtain their clinical education. Participants were also asked to provide input about topics related to dementia. The focus groups yielded valuable insights about members’ needs and preferences around educational programming for dementia including priority areas aligned in each step in the GSAKAER—Kickstart, Assess, Evaluate, Refer—framework and the Zoom In educational series. This presentation will highlight findings from the focus groups of healthcare professionals and describe educational strategies resulting from the findings.

FAQs

Why were the GSA KAER Toolkit and BrightFocus educational programs examined?

They are established resources for educating healthcare professionals, but evidence was limited on professionals’ actual needs and preferences for clinical education and dementia content.

How was the study conducted?

GSA and BFF held three virtual focus groups during July and August 2025 with 33 GSA members from the Health Sciences Section, covering diverse interdisciplinary provider roles.

What did the focus groups cover and what was the outcome?

They assessed preferences about delivery, length, format, and where providers obtain clinical education, plus input on dementia-related topics. Results informed priority educational areas mapped to the GSA KAER framework and the Zoom In series.

Sep 29, 2026

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