Elsevier Adds the College of Personal Assistance and Caregiving to Expand DirectCourse's Web-based Learning Curricula

PHILADELPHIA, October 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Interactive, online curriculum for learners who provide care that promotes independent living for people with physical disabilities and older adults

Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, today announced that Elsevier's DirectCourse has expanded, adding a new curriculum, College of Personal Assistance and Caregiving (CPAC). This interactive, web-based curriculum is designed to train and educate personal care assistants, home care providers and family caregivers caring for people with physical disabilities and older adults to live independently in their communities.  A pilot program has been launched in several states, including Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Wisconsin and Tennessee.

CPAC was created by the Center for Personal Assistance Services at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), in collaboration with the University of Minnesota's Research and Training Center on Community Living and Elsevier.  The curriculum, that currently includes more than 20 lessons, empowers organizations to provide their home care providers with a career path, increase their job satisfaction, and reduce turnover in the field.

Core lessons in the curriculum include:

• Personal Care
• Understanding Health and Health Care Activities
• Disability Rights and Independent Living
• Preventive Health and Wellness
• Safety at Home and in the Community

"The inclusion of the CPAC curriculum in DirectCourse provides an unprecedented knowledge base for personal care assistance professionals," said Bill Tapp, Elsevier's DirectCourse Vice President.  "This new curriculum offers organizations relevant tools and interactive capabilities required for advancement in today's workforce. Most importantly, CPAC provides a learning gateway for families, workers, and those who assist individuals with physical disabilities and older adults, enabling them to live independently in the community."

CPAC courses were created for consumers who are self-directing and are delivered and administered by Elsevier's industry-leading learning management system, Elsevier Performance Manager: Core Development.  This makes it easy for administrators and supervisors to track progress, measure effectiveness, assign lessons and even create customized content.  

"Building on the continued success of DirectCourse's online curricula, Elsevier is committed to advancing knowledge and skills in a growing number of working professionals in the best way possible," said John Schrefer, President of Elsevier's MC Strategies. "CPAC provides a robust, comprehensive knowledge base and will complement Elsevier's proven platform for educational and professional development."

About DirectCourse

DirectCourse is Elsevier's expansive suite of online curricula to train professionals who support people with intellectual, developmental and physical disabilities, as well as older adults. DirectCourse is anchored by the College of Direct Support, an online curriculum for direct support professionals managed in collaboration with Elsevier/MC Strategies and the University of Minnesota's Research and Training Center on Community Living. In addition, DirectCourse contains the College of Employment Services, a new online training curriculum developed by the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts Boston. http://directcourseonline.com/

About DirectCourse/College of Personal Assistance and Caregiving

The DirectCourse/College of Personal Assistance and Caregiving is an interactive, web-based curriculum designed for those who work with people with physical disabilities and older adults. The College of Personal Assistance and Caregiving was created by the Center for Personal Assistance Services at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) in collaboration with the University of Minnesota's Research and Training Center on Community Living and Elsevier.  The College of Personal Assistance and Caregiving empowers home care organizations to give their employees a real career path, increasing job satisfaction and reducing turnover. http://directcourseonline.com/personalassistance/

About Elsevier
Elsevier is a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. The company works in partnership with the global science and health communities to publish more than 2,000 journals, including The Lancet and Cell, and close to 20,000 book titles, including major reference works from Mosby and Saunders. Elsevier's online solutions include ScienceDirect, Scopus, Reaxys, ClinicalKey and Mosby's Nursing Suite, which enhance the productivity of science and health professionals, and the SciVal suite and MEDai's Pinpoint Review, which help research and health care institutions deliver better outcomes more cost-effectively.

A global business headquartered in Amsterdam, Elsevier employs 7,000 people worldwide. The company is part of Reed Elsevier Group PLC, a world-leading publisher and information provider, which is jointly owned by Reed Elsevier PLC and Reed Elsevier NV. The ticker symbols are REN (Euronext Amsterdam), REL (London Stock Exchange), RUK and ENL (New York Stock Exchange).

Media contact
Christopher Capot
Director, Corporate Relations, Elsevier
+1-212-633-3164
C.Capot@Elsevier.com