As a health or social care professional supporting people at the end of life, do you feel confident and competent to support and care for people with advanced dementia and their carers?
As part of our learning programme here at St Christopher’s CARE to upskill clinicians and colleagues working in all settings to better understand and support the growing number of people with dementia at the end of life, we’ve created three training days looking at various topics associated with the end of life for people living with advanced dementia and their carers.
To meet the needs of people with busy working schedules and different areas of interest and expertise, this has been designed to be a flexible course – learners may complete all three days, any two, or just the one that most suits their needs.
What will I learn?
Thursday 21st January 2027 (virtual)
Communicating with people living with advanced dementia and their loved ones
- Understand the different ways in which individuals with dementia communicate
- Understand communication barriers and factors that can affect communication in a negative way
- Be aware that non-verbal communication is an essential component of communication for people living with dementia
What will I learn?
Next date tbc
Common Symptoms in People Living with Advanced Dementia
- Dementia: pathophysiology, aetiology and key symptoms
- How to support people displaying distressed and adaptive behaviours
- How to recognise and managing pain in people living with dementia
- How to recognise delirium in people living with dementia
- Discuss dementia case scenarios
What will I learn?
Next date tbc
Key palliative care issues relating to the people with advance dementia and their carers
This study day will highlight some of the important palliative care issues relating to people with advanced dementia and their loved ones. The goals of the day are to help learners:
- Be more familiar with the signs and symptoms that dementia is progressing and of the last 6-12 months of life
- Understand the importance of end-of-life planning to prevent crisis admissions to the hospital
- Recognise and address ways in which dementia may impact on nutritional intake
- Be more aware of how people with advanced dementia process and cope with grief and loss and how best to support them and their families talk about grief and loss
- Understand that services can be developed to support people with advanced dementia stay at home for as long as possible
- Know the stressors associated with caring for someone with dementia at the end of life
This course is pitched at an intermediate level and is suitable for nurses, doctors, social workers, occupational therapists, paramedics, physiotherapists and speech and language therapists.
