PHILADELPHIA, October 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Interactive, online curriculumfor learners who provide care that promotes independent living for peoplewith 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:

"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/

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