Caring for an individual with symptoms of dementia is challenging. It’s even harder if you don’t fully understand the condition. With this in mind, the course shares basic information about the different types of dementia, the causes, and the common risk factors that contribute to its development in an individual.
You will learn how to spot the onset of dementia and how a diagnosis is determined. You will also discover how it damages the brain; what the cognitive, functional, behavioural and emotional changes that can occur are, and what treatments can be used to slow progression.
‘Person-centered care’ brings focus to the needs and preferences of an individual with dementia, in a respectful and responsive way. It also considers the values of the person and their family in all aspects of decision making. You will discover more about this type of care in this course.
To communicate effectively with those who have dementia requires respect, inclusiveness, and a thorough understanding of effective communication strategies. You need to adapt to continue meaningful communication throughout each phase of dementia. The Dementia Awareness Diploma Course explains how to do this, along with guidance on how to overcome even the most challenging of communication barriers.
As a caregiver, you need to encompass the role by learning how to manage chronic and intermittent medical conditions, monitor psychological changes, and provide a level of personal care that may be outside of your current comfort zone. You will also have to manage your own, and the sufferer’s family’s, expectations of the care that can be provided. This course guides you through the considerations you must make and how to go about being a carer for a family member.
The symptoms of dementia can leave those with the condition in a vulnerable state. The Dementia Awareness Diploma Course outlines how to assess and manage home safety risks, to limit possible hazards, and how to prepare for emergencies.
Loss of social abilities through dementia can leave its sufferers feeling an increased sense of alienation and isolation. It is important to employ meaningful activities that promote physical and mental stimulation, self-expression, and interaction, to bring back a sense of belonging, purpose, normality, and enjoyment. This course guides you through activities that can be used to stimulate the senses and encourage social interaction, and what the positive outcomes of these activities can be.
Due to the nature of dementia, someone with the condition is likely to exhibit some forms of challenging behaviour. The Dementia Awareness Diploma Course provides guidance on how to respond to some of the more common behaviours. These include agitation, screaming, wandering, sexual dis-inhibition, and cursing (swearing). This information also provides a basis for you to formulate similar or new strategies for other types of challenging behaviours that you may come across.
Providing care to an individual with dementia involves a network of people, which itself needs support. The course explains the roles of the various people involved and educates on how to help the primary caregiver, especially when this is a family member.
