Dementia Care Courses

Dementia Care Courses

When caring for persons with Dementia, healthcare professionals and nurses can come across many difficult situations as diseases prevent the affected persons to remember things, think clearly and communicate effectively. Many healthcare institutes, colleges, universities and medical centres provide quality Dementia care courses that enable the professionals to deal with the troubling problems and communication difficulties associated with Dementia. As the number of Dementia patients is increasing day by day in the elderly group, the need for staff with training in dementia care is on the rise.

Dementia Care Courses

Courses in dementia care aim to equip professionals with critical skills needed to deal with dementia patients. Dementia can cause sudden mood changes, personality disorder and behaviour changes. Thus, professionals must be well-trained, patient and resilient when working with Dementia patients. As a dementia diagnosis significantly effects all members of the family, as well as the patient and any healthcare staff. family members may also benefit from training in dementia care, especially as the condition of their loved one progresses.

The core modules included in dementia care courses include handling troubling behaviour, dealing with incontinence, agitation, repetitive speech or actions, paranoia, sundowning, bathing, communication disorders etc. Usually, the modules are very interactive to prepare professionals with real-life scenarios in the care of dementia.

Dementia care is a popular discipline in medical science and interested professionals can opt for diploma, associate's degree and specialised degrees in this subject. The diploma courses usually have a duration of 1-2 years, associate degrees are 2-3 years of length and bachelors are 4 year degree programmes. Different education institutions in UK offer full online courses in dementia care which help the working professionals currently employed in the healthcare sector. Courses in dementia care are available in both onsite and online platforms.

Benefits of Training in Dementia Care

Courses in dementia care will give participants insight into the disease and its consequences and side effects. Candidates will be able to relate the conditions of this progressive brain disorder with abnormal behaviours of their patients or relatives. This eventually enables individuals to empathise with the patients who are fighting this disease at late stages of their lives. The more is the understanding of dementia, the better people will be able to deal with dementia patients.

The popular and accepted method of caring for dementia patients is ‘person-centred’ care where the sole responsibility lies with an individual who performs almost all the activities related to caring. The courses address fundamental areas in providing quality dementia care such as communication, understanding social needs, maintaining proper nutrition, reducing pain and end-of-life care.

Professionals who aim to work with patients after completion of the courses can expect to be appointed in residential community, hospitals or homes. Dementia has certain stages and the disease affects the brain progressively, thus, patients’ behaviour and attitude changes with time. The job of caring for a dementia patient is challenging yet virtuous as it requires tenacity, humility and kindness.