Completing an Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias training course is only part of the compliance process. For required Florida ADRD training to be properly documented, the certificate should establish that the course was delivered by an approved training provider using an approved curriculum for the applicable care setting.
That means agencies, nurse registries, caregivers, and surveyors should look beyond the course title or number of hours printed on a certificate.
A compliant certificate should connect two separate Department of Elder Affairs approvals:
An approved ADRD training provider, identified by a trainer approval number.
An approved ADRD curriculum, identified by a curriculum approval number and curriculum expiration date.
A trainer approval number by itself does not establish that an approved curriculum was used. Likewise, a curriculum approval number does not establish that the training was delivered by an approved trainer.
Both approvals matter.
The Florida Department of Elder Affairs separately reviews and approves ADRD trainers and ADRD curricula.
An approved trainer is authorized to provide training within the care setting for which the trainer was approved. The trainer must then use a curriculum that has also been approved for that applicable setting.
This creates an important compliance standard:
Required ADRD training should be provided by an approved trainer using an approved curriculum appropriate to the caregiver’s work setting.
A certificate that simply says “Alzheimer’s Training,” “Dementia Training,” or “Two-Hour ADRD Course” does not, by itself, show that both requirements were satisfied.
According to the Florida Department of Elder Affairs, an approved trainer is responsible for issuing a certificate that includes:
The name or title of the approved training program
The number of training hours
The curriculum approval number
The curriculum expiration date
The trainee’s full name
The trainee’s license or certification number, if held
The date of the training
The location of the training
The trainer’s printed name
The trainer’s approval number
The trainer’s dated signature
These details allow an employer, nurse registry, facility, caregiver, or regulator to determine who provided the training and which approved curriculum was used.
DOEA trainer approvals do not currently expire. Curriculum approvals, however, are generally valid for three years and must then be renewed before the curriculum can continue to be used for new training.
This is why the curriculum expiration date must appear on the certificate.
The curriculum expiration date should not be confused with an expiration date for the caregiver’s completed training certificate. It identifies the period during which the curriculum was approved for use.
A certificate issued for training completed while the trainer and curriculum were properly approved is not automatically invalidated when the curriculum later reaches its renewal date. The date helps establish that the curriculum was active and approved when the training occurred.
Any separate retraining or continuing education requirement applicable to a particular role or care setting would still need to be followed.
When reviewing a caregiver’s ADRD certificate, the organization should confirm:
The certificate should identify the individual or organization that provided the training and include the applicable DOEA trainer approval number.
The certificate should identify the specific approved curriculum used during the training.
Compare the completion date with the curriculum expiration date printed on the certificate.
ADRD approvals are setting-specific. Training approved for one care setting should not automatically be assumed to satisfy the requirements for another.
The course should match the employee’s role, required training level, and work setting.
The trainer and curriculum should be verified using the Florida Department of Elder Affairs’ approved trainer and curriculum listings. Organizations may also request copies of the trainer and curriculum approval letters.
The Florida Department of Elder Affairs is responsible for reviewing and approving ADRD trainers and curricula.
The Agency for Health Care Administration surveys regulated providers for compliance with Florida’s ADRD training requirements. These requirements may appear in AHCA inspection records under survey tag CZ875 or ZZ875, depending on the provider type or inspection record.
Because the agencies perform related functions, a meaningful compliance review should involve more than confirming that a certificate exists.
The certificate should demonstrate that:
The required training was completed;
The course was delivered by an approved trainer;
The trainer used an approved curriculum;
The approvals applied to the appropriate care setting; and
The curriculum was active on the date of training.
A certificate missing the trainer approval number, curriculum approval number, or curriculum expiration date may not provide enough information to complete that verification.
C-E-U.com provides a DOEA-approved two-hour online ADRD curriculum for the home health setting.
Our approval information is:
Approved Training Provider: Scott Strachan / C-E-U.com
Home Health Trainer Approval Number: HH 10747
Approved Curriculum: Home Health ADRD Two-Hour Online Curriculum
Curriculum Approval Number: HH10743
Curriculum Approval Date: April 2, 2025
Curriculum Expiration Date: April 2, 2028
For transparency, the following documentation is available for review:
[View the C-E-U.com DOEA Trainer Approval Letter]: DOEA ADRD Trainer Letter
[View the C-E-U.com DOEA Curriculum Approval Letter] : DOEA ADRD Curriculum Approval Letter
[Search the DOEA List of Approved ADRD Trainers] : DOEA Website
[Search the DOEA List of Approved ADRD Curricula] DOEA Website
[Review Florida’s ADRD Training Requirements] ZZ/CZ 875
One of the most important takeaways is that finding a trainer’s name on the approved trainer list is not the end of the review.
The trainer must also be using an approved curriculum. The certificate should identify that curriculum by its approval number and expiration date so the training can be independently verified.
For required ADRD training to be properly documented, the certificate should show the complete connection:
Approved trainer + approved curriculum + correct care setting + complete certificate information
Caregivers should retain their certificates, and regulated providers should maintain appropriate documentation in their personnel or contractor records. When questions arise, copies of both the trainer approval letter and curriculum approval letter provide additional support for the training’s acceptance.
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