Training trainers in the management of older persons with dementia during the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose – During the COVID-19 pandemic, educational activities for preventing and managing chronic health conditions were needed to adapt to meet their learning objectives. Dementia is a chronic disease that is one of the contemporary epidemics in Latin America and Caribbean (LAC). This paper aims to describe the impact of the design and results of a course of the Latin American Academy of Medicine of the Elderly (ALMA) remotely taught to teachers and specialists in geriatrics from various countries of LAC. Design/methodology/approach – A course focused on learning and competencies was designed, including two synchronous and asynchronous activity phases. An evaluation strategy was designed to assess the level of learning and the teaching strategy itself. Findings – Of the 120 university geriatrics professors who applied, 60 participants were selected, 1 of whom declined to participate before starting the course. At the course initiation, 89 participants from 20 countries included teachers (6 speakers, 12 advisors and 12 tutors) and students (59). The participants were professors from 49 universities in LAC and 3 in Europe; 57 (98.25%) students achieved a satisfactory grade, and 17 (29.8%) obtained an excellent grade. Only one student failed. No student dropped out of the course. Self-perception of learning was greater than 70%. Originality/value – Opinions regarding the evaluation of the design, teaching methodology, content quality, quality of teachers and virtual learning environment were mainly “good and very good.” The virtual course model implemented was successful and efficient and can be used to teach the topic analyzed or adjusted to another issue.