Courses and Training
Dementia Training Courses
A number of dementia-care training courses are available. Some are aimed at professional carers, e.g. paid workers who work in care homes or provide domiciliary care. These courses are very important, as studies have shown that up to 75 per cent of people living in nursing and residential care homes have Alzheimer's disease or another form of dementia.
Some courses aimed at professional carers may also cater for people who provide unpaid care, e.g. a friend or family member. One such course is run by OXCARE (part of Oxfordshire County Council Social & Community Services). This course is free to attend - for more details please scroll further down this page.
Carers Centre Courses
A rolling programme of training events for unpaid Carers is available through the Oxfordshire Carers Centres. Course topics include stress management and coping with challenging behaviour.
For further details contact:
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Independent Trainers
There are a number of independent professional trainers who provide specialist training courses in various aspects of dementia. There are also generic trainers who offer courses in dementia care. Some will tailor a course to specific needs. Try to obtain references or personal referrals from people who have experienced their training, as not everyone will be able to meet your needs and many generic trainers are not experienced in dementia care. The Alzheimer's Society has a list of Approved Trainers.
Resources for "In-House" Training
The Alzheimer's Society produces a range of publications to enable care homes, and other providers, to promote good practice in dementia care.
"Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow" is the Alzheimer's Society's new video training package for staff working with people with dementia. The 90 minute video is backed up by a training manual, providing eight training sessions including lesson plans, exercises and case studies for trainers and facilitators. Training seminars and a certification scheme are also available in conjunction with this.
Oxfordshire County Council Shared Service
Learning & Development
Training provider for carers of older people who have dementia for unqualified paid and unpaid carers that care for older people with dementia in Oxfordshire. This event is also available at social care provider’s premises subject to numbers. 5 ½ hour session delivered free of charge
Introduction to Dementia Care
By the end of this course, participants will have had the opportunity to:
By the end of this course, participants will have had the opportunity to:
- Gain an understanding of the most common types of dementia in older
people
- Look at the importance of valuing and respecting each person with dementia in their care
- Consider the care they provide from the person with dementia's point of view
- Gain an understanding of how to support people with dementia to do as much as they can for themselves
- Understand the importance of meaningful activity in maintaining a person's skills and self worth
- Learn how to support people with dementia to eat and drink and with their personal care
Guideposts Trust Dementia Care Development Pack
This will help care staff in care homes and in the community as well as family carers understand and help the older person with dementia. The pack has been produced following a Department of Health research project lasting 3 years. It introduces ways of working within organisations to help staff identify where they need to improve practice and also how to utilise learning more effectively. The bulk of the pack is devoted to specific information about ageing and dementia. The 10 part dementia section covers subjects such as eating and drinking, the enabling environment, activity and occupation.
For more information see pdf of the flyer
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ASET
Level 2 Certificate in Dementia Care (The course
is run by a number of colleges and training organisations and the course
cost can vary depending on who runs it)
http://www.aset.ac.uk/viewpage.php?id=programmes%2F
qualifications%2Fdementia-care-l2%2F
Free training resource
- Working with dementia (Alzheimer Scotland booklet) Copies
can be downloaded from the Alzheimer Scotland web-site (www.alzcot.org)
and they also send copies free to care staff (0131 243 1453)
SPECAL
SPECAL (Specialized Early Care for Alzheimer's) is a person-centred dementia care charity undertaking ground-breaking work with older people who have dementia of the Alzheimer's type.
SPECAL helps clients to live contentedly by associating their long-term memories with their current experience.
SPECAL also works with the carers, families and friends of people who have dementia, and professionals working in the field of dementia who have an interest in the SPECAL approach.
SPECAL services include:
Introductory Service
Advice and information about the SPECAL Photograph Album© and its implications for care planning.
Support for people who have been recently diagnosed
Presentation of the SPECAL Photograph Album© tailored to be accessible to a person in the relatively early stages of Alzheimer's who may wish to explore their prognosis beyond the medical implications.
Training
Workshops for individuals and small groups to discuss principles of the SPECAL care programme and to resolve practical problems relating to caring.
Outreach
Help in preserving the relationship between the person with dementia and key family members which is crucial to the lifelong preservation of personhood and the reduction of carer guilt. Therapeutic Visits are made to the person with dementia and carer together.
Friday Group Flagship Service
A controlled environment in which SPECAL care principles are operating on a moment-by-moment, practical basis, under the guidance of skilled practitioners. Friday Group members include people at all stages of dementia, from very early, to very late.
Major Transitional Care
Providing the support needed in order to move from the family home into a formal care setting using a programme of SPECAL care. The aim is to minimise the stress of the transition for the person with dementia, and to ease the sense of guilt felt by the family if not offered specialized support.
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Oxfordshire Welfare Rights
Oxfordshire Welfare Rights is an independent charity offering expert
advice on APPEALS for decisions on welfare benefits, tax
credits, and disability benefits to organisations. As a
second tier organisation they are only open to referrals
to advice agencies, health workers etc. They do not take
direct referrals from the public.
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South East Dementia Collaborative
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