Caring for People with Dementia - The Fundamentals

This e-learning course comprises three easy-to-follow units - an introduction and two study units. Unit 2 deals with Dementia Awareness, whilst unit 3 covers the Person-centred approach to the care and support of an individual with dementia. Topics covered include the early symptoms and warning signs, along with the early, middle and late stages of the condition.

Unit Titles
How to Use the Course
Dementia Awareness
Person-centred approach to care and support

Unit 2: enables learners to understand what dementia is, to recognise its symptoms and effects and some of the possible causes. In this unit learners look at examples of risk factors and find out about the prevalence of different types of dementia. The unit goes on to describe the medical and social models of dementia in terms of care needs and provides learners with guidance as to which approach to take in a supporting role. Learners go on to find out about how individuals with dementia experience the condition depending on their age, the type of dementia they have and their abilities / disabilities. The unit concludes by enabling learners to identify how other people’s attitudes can affect how a person copes with the condition and feels about themselves.

Unit 3: provides learners with the knowledge and understanding required to enable individuals with dementia to live comfortable, happy and fulfilling lives. The unit explores the reasons for and benefits of a person-centred approach to dementia care and how to apply it to meet the needs and preferences of the people with dementia. Learners also explore the importance of effective teamwork in the care and support process.

Both units provide workbooks containing a series of workplace assessments that learners can access via the resources button. Learners can answer the questions by hand, on a printed copy, or on-screen before printing it out.

Learning Objectives: after completing this course learners will be able to:

> Define clearly what dementia is and the describe the key functions of the brain that are affected by dementia
> Know the most common types of dementia and their causes
> Identify the early symptoms and warning signs
> Understand how to enable individuals with dementia to live comfortable, happy and fulfilling lives
> Understand the role of carers and others in the support of individuals with dementia
> Full length version of this course also available.