The bill establishes the Ohio Dementia Care Training Act for Nurse Aides by amending sections 3721.28, 3721.29, and 3721.30 of the Revised Code. It mandates that long-term care facilities provide nurse aides with an approved competency evaluation program to ensure they are adequately trained to care for residents, particularly those with cognitive impairments. The legislation requires a minimum of two hours of dementia-specific training covering essential topics such as communication techniques and person-centered care practices. Additionally, it specifies that nurse aides must complete the required training and competency evaluations before providing direct care to residents with dementia.

The bill also introduces provisions that empower the director of health to enforce compliance with training requirements, including the ability to impose fines, request corrective action plans, or revoke licenses for non-compliance. It prohibits any charges to nurse aides for participating in approved training programs, ensuring that they are not financially burdened by the costs of training materials or evaluations. Furthermore, the bill clarifies the definition of "dementia" and repeals certain sections of the Revised Code to streamline the legislative framework surrounding dementia care training, ultimately aiming to enhance the quality of care for individuals with dementia in long-term care settings.

Statutes affected:
As Introduced: 3721.28, 3721.29, 3721.30