Dementia Services

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We can provide a range of training services designed to meet your organisation’s needs. We will focus on making dementia care understandable and seek to provide solutions that are easily adopted in the field

Our philosophy in developing dementia services for home care businesses is based on an understanding that people learn in different ways – and that the pace and timing of the learning has to be individual to them. It also has to be cost-effective for the business to undertake in time and money. And it has to be effective to engineer change in practice and allow development to be meaningful and fulfilling.

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That is why we take time initially with our clients to establish the kind of training that would best support their service and delivery of care for people with dementia. This means that the training is designed to meet your needs, rather than trying to adapt your business to fit the training.

We aim to provide training that sits comfortably with your organisation, taking into account the unique way that you operate and causing the minimum amount of disruption to your service. We enjoy a challenge and are always willing to listen – and find innovative ways for training to be delivered. We can deliver training via email, through home study, group learning in small rural locations and the traditional ‘classroom’.

The following is an example of a model of training designed for care workers focusing on caring for a person with dementia in a home care setting.

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Module 1

• Brief introduction to understand and identify learning patterns of care workers
• Definition of dementia
• What it is and what it isn’t
• Common types and causes of dementia
• Common signs and symptoms of dementia
• Person-centred approach
• Working with friends and family

Module 2
Communication and behaviour

• Understanding communication (verbal and non-verbal)
• Understanding and interpreting behaviour patterns in dementia, and the challenges they present in the homecare setting

Module 3
Maintaining health and wellbeing to cover the following:

• Daily routine and personal care
• Personal hygiene
• Oral hygiene
• Maintaining  healthy diet and fluid intake
• Continence management
• Skin care
• Movement and mobility
• Maintaining hobbies, pastimes and social activities

Module 4
The environment. This section will cover:

• Simple ways to improve the home environment to help the person with dementia and their families
• Aids and adaptations and assistive technologies, that may prove helpful

Module 5

• Protection of people with dementia
• Recognising and reporting different types of abuse
• Legal implications related to dementia
• The importance of reporting, recording and managing information

Module 6

• Supporting the person with dementia and their family through the journey of dementia

(Including hospital admission, care home support, respite care etc)

• Integrated care partnerships, understanding and being aware of all the parties both in statutory independent and voluntary organisations and support services that could help
• What you as a care worker can do to help with their quality of life throughout the journey

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Each module is designed to be interactive and will utilise role play, exercises and discussion. The modules can be delivered by Jennifer Roberts with the ongoing support and development role being undertaken by a manager or appointed co-ordinator from within the business.

Alternatively, selected managers can be trained by Jennifer and then become the in-house trainers.

Supported learning is very important, so in both cases, mentoring, guidance and support would be provided by Jennifer.

In order to monitor the care workers’ levels of understanding, and to identify and assist in areas in which they experience any difficulties, we can offer a series of exercises and competency tests.

To assist with ongoing learning, we can help with the development of learning diaries, and the adoption of reflective practice discussion.