Dementia e-learning course (2009)

Published: 2009 | Free to use | Learning Management System compatible

This dementia e-learning course is aimed at anyone who comes into contact with someone with dementia and provides a general introduction to the disease and the experience of living with it.

This course is designed to be accessible to a wide audience and includes a considerable amount of  video footage shot by both the Alzheimer’s Society and SCIE where people with dementia and their carers share their views and feelings on camera.

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• Module 1: Dementia, what it is and what it isn’t Open

  

  This module covers:

  • views of dementia in the media
  • facts and common misconceptions about dementia
  • common symptoms, clinical terminology and causes of symptoms.

  On completion of this learning module you will be able to:

  • challenge some common myths and negative attitudes about dementia
    
  • describe what dementia is
    
  • list common signs and symptoms of dementia
    
  • describe some of the complex difficulties people with dementia face and some causes of these difficulties

  To study this course you must register or login

• Module 2: Living with dementia Open

  

  This module covers:

  • the person with dementia as a unique individual
  • the importance of knowing their background and life history
  • abilities people with a dementia retain in spite of the difficulties they face
  • how dementia impacts on families, friends and community and the support that is needed.

  On completion of this learning module you will be able to identify:

  • key aspects of the personal experiences of people with dementia
    
  • the importance of recognising the individuality of people with dementia and their unique strengths, preferences and needs
    
  • how a person's life history impacts on how they interact with the world around them today
    
  • the impact of dementia on family and friendship networks
    
  • key aspects of the personal experiences of carers of people with dementia.

  To study this course you must register or login

• Module 3: What causes dementia Open

  

  This module covers:

  • the different types of dementia and the key characteristics of each
  • the different areas of the brain and how dementia affects these areas
  • factors that are known to increase or lessen the risk of dementia.

  On completion of this learning module you will be able to:

  • describe the causes of dementia
  • list some of the more common diseases and disorders that cause dementia
  • describe some of the similarities and differences between different types of dementia
  • describe the key functions of, and results of damage to, the three most affected lobes of the brain
  • identify some factors that can increase and decrease the risk of dementia.

  To study this course you must register or login

• Module 4: Diagnosis and who can help Open

  

  This module covers:

  • the process of diagnosis and its impact
  • help and support available, key professional roles and skills and multidisciplinary support services
  • anti-dementia drugs and non-pharmacological treatments.

  On completion of this learning module you will be able to:

  • identify reasons why an early diagnosis is important
  • describe the emotional impact of receiving a diagnosis of dementia
  • describe the process involved in diagnosing a dementia
  • list some key dangers of labelling people
  • describe the multidisciplinary nature of a robust network of help and support for people with dementia and their families
  • describe a range of medical and non-medical treatments in dementia and know how to access more information on them.

  To study this course you must register or login

• Module 5: Common difficulties and how to help Open

  

  This module covers:

  • how dementia affects each individual differently
  • four common areas of difficulty faced by people with dementia
  • practical strategies to assist with difficulties
  • difficulties faced by people with dementia not caused by damage to the brain, but by other factors.

  On completion of this learning module you will be able to:

  • have a better understanding of the unique nature of every nature of every individual's experience of dementia
    
  • be able to describe ways in which some of the most common symptoms of dementia can affect people's everyday lives
    
  • appreciate how it can feel to be faced with the symptoms of dementia
    
  • be able to draw on a range of strategies to compensate for the difficulties caused by some common symptoms of dementia 
    
  • be able to recognise and minimise causes of avoidable difficulties.

  To study this course you must register or login

• Module 6: The emotional impact of dementia Open

  

  This module covers:

  • the emotional dimension of dementia
  • the importance of effective strategies to help people experiencing difficult emotions
  • a range of situations where we can have a major impact on a person with dementia through our actions.

  On completion of this learning module you will be able to:

  • describe some of the feelings commonly experienced by people with dementia and their relatives
  • recognise responses that can be helpful
  • recognise that understanding the perspective of a person with dementia is vital to avoid causing emotional distress
  • have a deeper understanding of why our communication must be sensitive to the feelings and needs of people with dementia.

  To study this course you must register or login

• Module 7: Positive communication Open

  

  This module covers:

  • helping a person with dementia understand our message
  • helping a person with dementia make themselves understood
  • communicating with people experiencing a different reality
  • the importance of non-verbal communication.

  On completion of this learning module you will be able to:

  • recognise factors that can impact on successful communication
    
  • use some new communication techniques to help people with dementia to express themselves and understand what we are saying
    
  • have a better understanding of how to respond when a person with dementia is expressing a different reality
    
  • understand how to avoid causing distressing situations by recognising and responding to clues about the needs of the person with dementia.

  To study this course you must register or login

 

Course details

• Who they are suitable forOpen

  The programme will therefore be suitable for care home staff (carers, administrative and managerial staff), domiciliary care workers, registered general, mental and district nurses, general and acute hospital staff, allied health care professionals, social workers, ambulance service staff, community support workers (meals on wheels, transport services) and family carers.

• Terms of useOpen

  All material in these resources, including text, graphics, photographs, video and audio is copyright of the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE), unless otherwise stated. Use of these resources, and import of the resources into Learning Management Systems for educational purposes is freely permitted, but commercial use of any of SCIE’s learning resources is not authorised unless permission is first obtained in writing.

  Please note these courses are provided free of charge on an ‘as seen’ basis. Although SCIE’s courses have been used over many years with almost no reported problems, SCIE cannot provide technical support for their implementation or to investigate or fix any reported technical problems, nor does it warrant that they are fully compliant with all or any technical platform.

  Any known issue with an individual course is noted on the opening page of that course.

  This course was developed using a technology called Adobe Flash, which is not compatible with any Apple/Android platform, and may not work on any mobile device.

• Learning Management System compatibleOpen

  This course is fully SCORM compliant. That means they can be loaded into a Learning Management System (LMS) or Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), such as WebCT, Blackboard or Moodle, and accessed locally.

  Please note that this course was not designed to export any scores or track progress throughout the resource. Therefore, this course can be freely accessed by users, but there will be no tracking or grading functionality.

  To obtain the SCORM-compliant version of this course, please contact us.