All participants should be prepared with notebooks, pens and drinks/light snacks to avail of during training.

Dementia Care Education is available for consultations with communities, facilities and companies involved in the Senior Industry to ensure they have a dementia capable plan to reduce the risk of transmission and death for residents in senior living facilities.

Dementia Care Certified® Training - Virtual Platform

Certification serves as an advanced training for dementia care for facility leadership and all levels of the health care team. This training is designed for professionals and organizations that want to be recognized for dementia care excellence and industry leadership. This 9-hour workshop is spread over two consecutive 4.5 hour training days and covers:

Disease Description

• Gain understanding of normal aging and cognitive functioning.

• List potential causes of dementia and memory loss.

• Identify the impact that Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias have on the human brain and its function.

• Demonstrate knowledge of Alzheimer’s disease, including stages and categories, symptoms, diagnosis, risk factors and disease duration.

Demographics

• Identify the demographics of people affected by Alzheimer’s disease.

• Gain insight of the anticipated increase and impact of Alzheimer’s disease in the future.

Societal Impact

• Identify challenges that families and caregivers experience when caring for someone who has dementia.

• Gain insight into the costs, risks and stressors that affect families and caregivers.

Effective Interactions

• Understand the principle of person-centered care and the importance of recognizing each person as a unique individual.

• Articulate verbal and non-verbal communication that people with cognitive impairment may display.

• Reframe what is traditionally labeled difficult behaviors to expressions of needs, desires and distress, and understand how these expressions are manifested in specific behaviors.

Cognitive Assessment and Early Detection

• Identify tips for detecting cognitive impairment and using observation as an assessment tool.

• List and describe a variety of cognitive tools for conducting assessments and demonstrate an understanding of the recommended course of action when cognitive impairment is identified.

Screening

• Gain insight into screening, including tips, measures and recommendations.

• Summarize screening measures used for assessing cognitive function.

Disease Diagnosis

• Identify screenings and examinations used to diagnose and assess current state of cognitive functioning.

• Gain an understanding of the benefits of early diagnosis.

• Understand the steps involved in identifying and diagnosing Alzheimer’s and related dementias.

Care Interventions

• Gain a basic knowledge of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions

• Identify interventions that can be used with a person diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

• Gain insight on how physical, cognitive and social activities, along with diet, can be used as positive interventions.

Behaviors

• Understanding and dealing with the behaviors present in Alzheimer's and other dementias

Dementia: Organizing Principle of Care

• Gain an understanding of the unique care needs of individuals with dementia when co- morbid conditions are present.

• Demonstrate an understanding of dementia as the organizing framework for care, including how it affects assessment, treatment planning, care management and overall quality of life for individuals with dementia.

• Identify evidence-based transitional care models.

Caregiver Support

• Identify the difficult aspects of caring for someone who has dementia.

• Demonstrate an understanding of activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) and how they differ.

• Gain insight into the cost, risks and stressors that affect caregivers, including the correlation between a caregiver’s health and well-being and the well-being of the person for whom they are caring.

• Recognize services that can be used to decrease stressors.

• Safety: Keeping people with Alzheimer’s safe from predators at home and/or in assisted living/memory care communities.