Dementia Care Essentials
Dementia can affect memory, thinking, communication, behaviour, decision-making, and a person’s ability to manage everyday activities. At Job Ready Courses, our Dementia Care Essentials course is a non-accredited, 100% online course designed to build foundational knowledge of dementia, person-centred care, communication, behavioural support, daily living, and safe workplace practices.
What You Will Learn
In this course, you will learn:
- The fundamentals of dementia and how it can affect individuals.
- Person-centred approaches that support dignity, independence, choice, and inclusion.
- How to recognise and respond to behavioural and psychological changes.
- Key safety, legal, ethical, and professional responsibilities in dementia support.
- The difference between dementia and normal ageing.
- Effective communication strategies when supporting people living with dementia.
- Approaches to supporting personal care, nutrition, hydration, mobility, and meaningful activities.
- Strategies for maintaining professional boundaries, wellbeing, and sustainable practice.
What You'll Explore
The course introduces the fundamentals of dementia and then focuses on practical, person-centred approaches to supporting people living with dementia.
1. Introduction to Dementia: Explore dementia, common types, the difference between dementia and normal ageing, early diagnosis, and common myths and facts.
2. Understanding Dementia: Explore how dementia can affect the brain, recognise signs and symptoms, understand broad stages, and identify factors that may influence wellbeing.
3. Person-Centred Dementia Care: Explore dignity, independence, cultural safety, individual preferences, meaningful relationships, choice, and supported decision-making.
4. Effective Communication: Develop an understanding of verbal and non-verbal communication, active listening, validation, reminiscence, and communication with families and carers.
5. Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia: Explore why behaviours may occur, identifying triggers, de-escalation, positive behaviour support, and restrictive practices.
6. Daily Living Support: Explore respectful support with personal care, nutrition and hydration, medication, continence, mobility, falls prevention, meaningful activities, and dementia-friendly environments.
7. Safety, Legal and Ethical Responsibilities: Explore duty of care, dignity of risk, informed consent, privacy, documentation, mandatory reporting, and working with families and carers.
8. Professional Practice and Self-Care: Explore workplace stress, burnout prevention, professional boundaries, reflective practice, and continuous learning.
By the End of the Course, You Will
- Understand the fundamentals of dementia and its impact on individuals.
- Understand communication approaches that support choice, dignity, and connection.
- Apply basic dementia-informed approaches to everyday support situations.
- Recognise the importance of professional boundaries, self-care, and continuous learning.
- Recognise the importance of person-centred dementia care.
- Recognise how behavioural, emotional, and physical changes may affect a person living with dementia.
- Understand key safety, legal, ethical, and professional responsibilities.
Why Dementia Care Knowledge is Important
People living with dementia can experience changes in memory, communication, behaviour, decision-making, mobility, and everyday functioning. Understanding these changes can help workers provide respectful, person-centred support while recognising individual preferences, abilities, rights, and support needs.
Developing foundational dementia care knowledge can help workers communicate effectively, support dignity and independence, respond appropriately to changes, and contribute to a safe and supportive environment.
Enrol in the Dementia Care Essentials course today and build your foundational knowledge of dementia, person-centred care, communication, behavioural support, and safe workplace practices.
Course Type: Non-accredited
Delivery: 100% Online
Learning Format: Self-paced online learning
