Who is The Culture Change Network of Georgia?
The Culture Change Network of Georgia (CCNG) is a group of dedicated supporters and stakeholders working as partners to promote and foster culture change to improve the quality of life for older Georgians in all settings where aging services are delivered.
As the clearinghouse of organizations and providers working on person-centered long-term care in multiple care settings, we build common knowledge, support, commitment and relationships among those represented, and coordinate with other existing groups that have similar goals and interests.
CCNG was founded in 2008 by Walter Coffey and Kim McRae, along with an innovative and committed group of individuals from various organizations, agencies and higher education institutions, who wanted to change the culture of aging in Georgia to become more person-directed.
Building Resources for Delivering Person-Centered Care in Georgia Nursing Homes Project
Georgia State University’s Gerontology Institute received a $1.6 million joint grant from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Georgia State Survey Agency to support this three-year training and development project.
This project built on the momentum of the Culture Change Network of Georgia, whose efforts have been ongoing to support Culture Change and Person-Centered Care across long-term care services and support organizations. The multiyear project is led by Dr. Jennifer Craft Morgan, Assistant Professor of Gerontology, and Dr. Elisabeth O. Burgess, Director of the Gerontology Institute in the College of Arts and Sciences at Georgia State University.
The team used grant funds to develop a sustainable program model aimed at improving the quality of life of Georgia nursing home residents, including those living with dementia, by providing important resources, staff development, and training to the state’s 374 nursing homes. The overall aim of this project was to create a sustainable model for improving the quality of life for nursing home residents in Georgia.
The Project Will Include the Following Components:
- A three-stage needs assessment of Georgia’s nursing homes
- Real-time, web-based information and resources for Georgia’s nursing homes
- Stakeholder engagement across the state, providing awareness education on Culture Change, Person-Centered Care, and living with dementia
- An interactive competency-based online continuing education training for nursing home staff (all levels), residents and informal care partners.
Georgia State Gerontology Institute Awarded Grant to Train State’s Nursing Home Staff
Georgia State University’s Gerontology Institute has received a $1.58 million grant to support training nursing home staff across the state to improve care for residents with dementia. The training emphasizes new trauma-informed approaches and reducing the use of antipsychotic drugs to manage residents’ symptoms.
The three-year project, jointly funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Georgia State Survey Agency, is led by Jennifer Craft Morgan, associate professor of gerontology.
What This Project Aims to Accomplish
The new project, titled “A Trauma-Informed Approach to Improving Dementia Care in Georgia Nursing Homes,” builds on the momentum of the Culture Change Network of Georgia (CCNG). Founded in 2008, CCNG’s efforts support culture change and person-centered care in nursing homes and across the spectrum of long-term care services and supports.
The project will develop videos, live and asynchronous webinars, and other continuing education resources to provide high-quality education to nursing home staff and stakeholders. The training will be designed to develop the awareness and knowledge needed to improve resident care and support organization-wide sustainment of quality improvement. The goal is to have staff at 90 percent of Georgia’s nursing homes, or 332 facilities, complete the training.
Meet Our Team
For this project, Dr. Jennifer Craft Morgan (Principal Investigator) and Dr. Elisabeth Burgess (Co-Principal Investigator) are partnering with the Culture Change Network of Georgia (CCNG). LeadingAge Georgia, led by Ginny Helms, President and CEO. LeadingAge Georgia will receive a subcontract to convene the CCNG and partner with other key stakeholders who will serve as advisers to the project. Project consultants are: Walter Coffey, Co-Founder CCNG and Managing Director WD International; Kim McRae, Co-Founder CCNG and President, Have a Good Life; Rose Marie Fagan, Co-Founder and Founding Executive Director, Pioneer Network; and Joan Carlson, Principal, JMC Consulting.
