CARE U conferences provide valuable education for certified nursing assistants (CNAs), personal care workers (PCWs) and other direct care staff who work with older adults.
We know that CNAs and direct care staff want continuing education and use the information to improve the care they provide. That’s why our Center for Aging Research and Education (CARE) began offering free one-day conferences for direct care staff in 2014.
To reach more CNAs and direct care staff across Wisconsin, CARE prepared others to offer their own local CARE U conferences.
These CARE U Trainers have the information, materials and guidance to give presentations and lead active learning exercises on:
- Aging and vision
- Caring for people living with dementia
- Maintaining older adult mobility
- Nutrition and swallowing
- Putting the person in person-centered care
- Understanding pain
Our certified CARE U Trainers are listed to the right.
If you are interested in hosting a CARE U conference in Wisconsin, mail us at care@son.wisc.edu and we will put you in touch with CARE U Trainers in your area.
Certified CARE U Trainers
- Der-Fa Lu, Eau Claire
- Heather Moore, Grant, Iowa, Lafayette & Crawford counties
- Kim Adamovich, Eagle River
- Denise Monroe, Hudson
- Jenny Totzke, Marathon, Rock & Wood counties
- Rachel Watkins-Petersen, Appleton
- Donna Hawley, Oshkosh
- Val Madsen, Wonewoc
- Shelly Pulda, Waupun
- Katie Pickhardt, Fond du Lac
- Angie Donovan, Platteville and Dane County
- Jeanne Barr, Viroqua
- Fatou Ceesay, Madison
- Deanna Blanchard, Oregon
- Kelley Cooper, Racine
- Kizzie Bland, Brown Deer
- Samiya Allison, Brown Deer
Our CARE U Trainers are people who:
- Teach or provide staff development, maybe as a nursing home staff educator, community health worker, CNA program instructor or nursing faculty
- Are located across Wisconsin
- Attended Train-the-Trainer online sessions in December 2020
- Have simulation equipment and other materials to facilitate active learning exercises
- Work with other Trainers in their area to offer CARE U local conferences
We plan to offer the CARE U Train-the-Trainer program again in 2022. Please contact us at care@son.wisc.edu if you would like to be notified of future offerings.
Read about our direct care staff conference in Monroe, Wisconsin.
If the information on this page doesn’t answer your questions, contact us at care@son.wisc.edu
Direct care staff participants in CARE conferences say:
There was not a thing that I wasn’t interested in. It was an excellent event! Even the simple tips. I told my manager some and she said, wow. … There’s not a lot of information out there for CNAs to grab onto.
I feel very lucky to have attended and can’t wait to take what I’ve learned and apply it to my residents.
Frequently asked questions for CARE U Trainer applicants
This is an accordion element with a series of buttons that open and close related content panels.
How much does it cost to become a CARE U Trainer?
Nothing! We will provide CARE U Trainers with all the information, materials and guidance to offer their own CARE U conferences for direct care staff.
What would my responsibilities be, as a CARE U Trainer?
As a CARE U Trainer, you agree to work with us to expand educational opportunities for direct care staff in Wisconsin. You must attend all Train-the-Trainer sessions; work with other local Trainers to offer your first CARE U conference; and develop a plan to keep offering CARE U conferences, working with your employer and other local Trainers.
Should I apply to become a CARE U Trainer?
If you are passionate about improving older adult care, know that CNAs and other direct care staff do incredibly important work, and have experience teaching or providing staff development, you would be a great CARE U Trainer! We don’t expect Trainers to be experts in older adult health or professional conference organizers.
Can CNAs or other direct care staff apply to become CARE U Trainers?
If you are an experienced CNA or direct care staff whose role has grown to include training or mentoring other staff, you would be a great CARE U Trainer! However, most direct care staff do not train others as part of their official duties.
How do I find others in my area who also want to apply?
Talk to people at your workplace. Contact organizations that train or hire direct care staff, like hospitals, home care, or long term care organizations. Ask technical colleges, public health departments, or Aging and Disability Resource Center staff. List the names of others you find in your CARE U Trainer application. (Everyone still fills out their own CARE U Trainer application.) If you don’t find others in your area, we still encourage you to apply!
Why do you ask us to find others in our area?
Our goal is for CARE U Trainers to keep offering conferences for direct care staff in their area. There are a lot of CNAs, PCWs, and other direct care staff across Wisconsin who will appreciate and use this information to improve older adult care! It will be easier for you to keep offering CARE U conferences if there are other Trainers nearby who are helping out.
What if I apply but then change my mind or can't make the Train-the-Trainer session?
If your plans change after you apply to become a CARE U trainer, please contact us at care@son.wisc.edu.
What happens if I become a CARE U Trainer but can't keep offering local conferences?
During our Train-the-Trainer sessions, we will work with Trainer teams to develop a sustainability plan. We’ll consider how you could keep offering local conferences, even if someone in your local Trainer team moves or changes jobs. We understand that life takes unexpected turns. We’re committed to working with CARE U Trainers to keep local conferences going.
Can I charge to offer local CARE U conferences?
All CARE U conferences must be free to the CNAs, PCWs, and other direct care staff who attend. However, we know that putting on direct care staff conferences takes time, space, and other resources. We will discuss options for local conference support during our Train-the-Trainer online sessions. Our CARE U Trainer manual will also include suggestions and lessons learned from the eleven conferences that CARE has organized.