Alzheimer’s Society Live Training

General Dementia Awareness Training (half day or full day)

Dementia awareness training is a skills-based course suitable for anyone who would like to improve their knowledge and understanding of dementia. This course will cover: The signs and symptoms of dementia,  how dementia affects behaviour, the senses and communication, how to build positive relationships with people affected by dementia using increased knowledge, empathy and practical skills.

Responding to Distressed Behaviour (full day)

Develop your knowledge and skills in responding to challenging situations with empathy and respect. This course focuses on behaviour as a form of communication and equips attendees with the skills to recognize certain behaviours in people with dementia and their associated triggers

Engaging People with Dementia (half day)

This course follows on from our Dementia awareness training: Step inside dementia programme and is a skills-based course. The course provides participants with evidence and understanding about the link between meaningful engagement and wellbeing. Participants learn how to make a baseline assessment of peoples’ experiences of dementia and of their treatment setting. The assessment approach can be also be used to measure the impact of practice development.

Improving Pain Management (full day)

This course follows on from our Stepping inside dementia programme and is a skills based course.. Research has highlighted that people with dementia are at higher risk of experiencing unmanaged pain. This course provides participants with the evidence and understanding as well as practical tools to enable them to assess pain in people with dementia and overcome barriers to pain management.

Understanding Dementia and Delirium (half day)

Learners will find out about delirium and the symptoms associated with, it as well as understanding the difference between dementia and delirium. The course will explain how to support people experiencing delirium in primary and secondary care which learners can apply to practice.

Dementia and Hearing Loss (half day)

Hearing loss can be more common as people get older.  For a person with dementia, this can cause extra problems.  This course aims to provide information about dementia, hearing loss and deafness and to improve knowledge and understanding of how to support people and improve communication and quality of life.

Supporting People with Advanced Dementia (half day)

*Delegates are required to attend Dementia Awareness Training before this course.

This session looks at the changes a person will experience in advanced dementia. Participants will explore issues around well-being and quality of life through this period.

Understanding your Customers with Dementia (half day)

*Pre-course requirements: Participants will be expected to read a pre-course information sheet regarding the four main types of dementia.

This course offers an insight into how dementia is experienced; the impact dementia has on everyday life and enables participants to feel more adequately prepared to ensure their products and services meet the needs of 850,000 customers living with dementia. In particular, the course develops the skills and confidence of staff to identify consumer vulnerabilities, understand their customers’ circumstances and improves their confidence in managing customer contact.

Dementia awareness training for GPs (half day)

To understand how dementia may affect a person’s visit to the GP and how best to support the individual through the process. This three hour workshop will enable participants to recognise how dementia affects not only the person who lives with it but also the wider impact on family and friends. Examining how dementia affects the brain will enable participants to recognise the need to use alternative approaches when connecting with and supporting an individual as well as recognising effective communication techniques.

Supporting customers with dementia over the phone (half day)

*Pre-course requirements: Participants will be asked to read pre-course learning information regarding the four main types of dementia.

This introductory course will enable participants to understand the unique ways that dementia affects people. Delegates will be enabled to develop a deeper empathy and understanding and gain the tools they need to be able to communicate effectively over the phone with people living with dementia.

Improving the customer experience for people with dementia (half day)

*Pre-course requirements: Delegates are required to read a short dementia factsheet ahead of the training, which will be provided by Alzheimer's Society.

This course is designed to enable people who interact with customers, either on the phone or in a face to face setting, to feel more confident and skilled in their approach to communicating with people with dementia. You will learn about dementia and how the condition affects communication and decision making. The course will equip you with the knowledge and skills to confidently support people with dementia and other vulnerable customers.

Reducing your risk (half day)

850,000 people live with dementia in the UK and this figure is set to rise. The costs of dementia are estimated to be over £26bn a year. Dementia is a life limiting illness, and is the most feared diagnosis among people over the age of 55yrs, but managing known risk factors could reduce numbers in the future.  

This course will enable participants to gain a better understanding of dementia and what some of the risk factors of developing dementia are. The course will focus on the changes to lifestyle that can influence these risks and how we might be able to change these.

Running great activities for people with dementia (half day)

*Pre course requirements: Dementia awareness training or equivalent previous dementia knowledge and/or experience.

This course will share well chosen, frequent activities for people living with dementia that are proven to create a sense of wellbeing, increase enjoyment and reduce or eliminate behaviours which may challenge others around them.

Understanding dementia and learning difficulties (full day)

*Pre-course requirements: Beneficial to have some experience of working with people with learning disabilities, but not essential. Also appropriate for staff new to this area of work.

To enable participants to understand what a learning disability is, what dementia is and how the impact of dementia may affect a person’s everyday life when the two conditions co-exist. To explore the importance of baseline assessment and on-going monitoring for dementia using evidence-based tools. This course examines how to provide appropriate support within a person centred framework to increase quality of life for people with learning disabilities and dementia. This includes communication needs, environmental and sensory issues and exploring a range of activities to support people through their journey and experience of dementia. Special mention is given to the specific issues for people with Downs syndrome and dementia.

Supporting people with dementia in the leisure industry (half day)

Exercise plays a vital role in helping to prevent Dementia and also in increasing well-being for people already diagnosed. This interactive programme is designed to enable leisure services teams to step inside the experience of people with dementia and see the Leisure centre pool and the gym through their eyes. Delegates will develop deeper empathy and be given practical tools they can use to enable people with dementia to continue to enjoy exercise.

Supporting people with dementia in the housing sector (half day)

A key element affecting the quality of life for someone with dementia is the place in which they live. As such, it is vital that housing providers understand dementia and how the condition affects the everyday lives of those affected. Our specialist training is tailored to settings such as extra-care and assisted living housing developments, retirement villages and sheltered housing schemes.

Dementia awareness for emergency staff (half day)

This half day workshop will provide an understanding of dementia and the problems that may be experienced by people with dementia in emergency situations and to provide insight to support staff in their work.

Course details coming soon!

Supporting vulnerable people with dementia and other cognitive difficulties (full day)

To raise awareness and understanding of the range of cognitive difficulties, such as dementia, autism and learning disabilities. This course will define the difference between the range of conditions and how the symptoms affect their abilities to make decisions. It will provide delegates with the confidence to recognise vulnerabilities, communicate appropriately and provide support.

Supporting people with dementia to remain active (half day)

For the sport and physical activity sector, becoming more dementia-friendly means providing opportunities to support every person with dementia, whether they are a customer, volunteer or spectator. This course will enable participants to feel more confident in supporting people living with dementia to take part in physical activity

Dementia awareness for staff working in prisons (half day)

This half day workshop will enable staff to identify needs of prisoners living with dementia. The course looks at how the brain works and how the changes dementia brings might affect behaviour. Participants will be given the skills and confidence to recognise when a prisoner might have dementia, how best to communicate with the person and how other mental health conditions might cause further complexities.

Retaining staff caring for a person with dementia (half day)

850,000 people live with dementia in the UK and this figure is set to rise. Of the number of family members caring for a person with dementia in the UK, 51% are in employment, often caring at a distance from where they live and work. The annual cost to businesses of hours lost due to carers reducing their hours or leaving work altogether now equates to £1.6bn in England alone. As well as financial cost, when employees leave they take vital skills and expertise with them.