This study was undertaken to evaluate a training program on understanding Alzheimer's disease for nursing home caregivers of those with the disease. A pretest/posttest design control group methodology was used to evaluate 81 staff members. Results of the study showed that: (1) staff satisfaction with working with mentally impaired and demented residents improved significantly after training; (2) the kind of knowledge required to care for Alzheimer's disease afflicted persons also increased; (3) proper knowledge of various tasks and positive attitudes toward the patients increased; and (4) the training group showed improved self-esteem after the training. Limits of the study were the voluntary participation of the staff and the smaller than desirable sample size; lack of participation in all training sessions; and the lack of multivariate analysis instead of the pretest/posttest strategy which was used. Despite limitations, overall results suggest that a training program such as this one is worth repeating and replicating in view of the urgent needs of persons afflicted with Alzheimer's disease residing in nursing homes. (ABL)