Caregivers and credentials
Dementia care training
Dementia care training teaches caregivers how to support a person with memory loss. It covers communication, daily routines, changing behavior, safety, and respect for the person. Courses exist for family caregivers and for paid staff. The Alzheimer's Association offers education for both groups.
Why it matters for your family
Caring for a person with dementia is different from caring for someone with only physical needs. A caregiver may need to respond calmly to repeated questions, confusion at dusk, or a wish to leave the house. A common mistake is to argue with the person or correct every error. Training teaches other ways to respond. Families should ask a provider what dementia training its caregivers have completed. The Alzheimer's Association offers free courses and workshops for family caregivers, and it offers training programs for professional care providers. Training does not make a caregiver a clinician. A doctor still guides medical care for dementia.
Source: alz.org
Related terms
- Dementia careDementia care is support for people with memory loss and other thinking problems that disrupt daily life.
- Alzheimer's careAlzheimer's care is support for a person with Alzheimer's disease, the most common cause of dementia.
- DementiaDementia is a group of symptoms, not one disease.
- SundowningSundowning is increased confusion, anxiety, or agitation that some people with Alzheimer's disease or other dementia feel from late afternoon through night.
- WanderingWandering is when a person with dementia leaves a safe place or walks around without a clear purpose and may become lost.
- Caregiver trainingCaregiver training is instruction that teaches paid or family caregivers how to give safe, respectful care.
