Growing Our Age-Friendly Workforce through LEAP
LEAP is a gerontological training program for health and social service professionals who work directly with older adults. LEAP aims to increase workforce satisfaction and retention by equipping participants to better care for older clients and their families.
View the Evaluation Report (PDF)About the Pilot Program
In partnership with the UVM Department of Social Work, the Dementia Family Caregiver Center at the UVM Medical Center, and CADER, we piloted this curriculum in January through June of 2025. The spring 2025 LEAP pilot included five asynchronous online courses created by the Center for Aging and Disability Education and Research at Boston University School of Social Work:
- Core Issues in Aging and Disability
- Assessment of Older Adults and Persons with Disabilities
- Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias
- Mental Health and Aging Issues
- Suicide Prevention Among Older Adults
After completing each module, learners gathered on Zoom for 75-minute facilitated “Deeper Dive” sessions to practice applying the content to case studies and their communities. One learner reflected that these group meetings “definitely enhanced [their] understanding/application of course material by hearing others expand on the material and being prompted to articulate [their] own connections and reflections.” The cohort then gathered in June for an in-person celebration and networking event at UVM, including a speaker panel connecting learners with valuable community resources. During this first round, 15 learners earned LEAP certificates of completion.
100% of participants reported that the training will improve their work with older adults, and with people who have behavioral health concerns or dementia. The program reinforced their confidence in working with older adults, with one participant commenting, LEAP “confirmed that I love what I do and gave me better tools to do it.” We invite you to view the full evaluation report to learn more!
LEAP was funded by a pilot grant from the Vermont Community Foundation.
We are grateful to the following community organizations for extending this opportunity to their staff: SASH, The Thompson Center, and Vermont State Housing Authority.
Interested in participating in LEAP or offering this training to your employees? Sign up here to receive updates as we begin building the next cohort.