Courses and Training

National

Dementia Training Courses

A number of dementia-care training courses are available. Some are aimed at professional carers, e.g. paid workers who work in care homes or provide domiciliary care. These courses are increasingly important, as studies estimates suggest that approximately two thirds of people who now live in care homes have Alzheimer's disease or another form of dementia.

Some courses aimed at professional carers may also cater for people who provide unpaid care, e.g. a friend or family member. One such course is run by Learning and Development (part of Oxfordshire County Council Shared Service). This course is free to attend - for more details please scroll further down this page.

Independent Trainers

There are a number of independent professional trainers who provide specialist training courses in various aspects of dementia. There are also generic trainers who offer courses in dementia care. Some will tailor a course to specific needs. Try to obtain references or personal referrals from people who have experienced their training, as not everyone will be able to meet your needs and many generic trainers are not experienced in dementia care. The Alzheimer's Society has a list of Approved Trainers.

Resources for "In-House" Training

The Alzheimer's Society produces a range of publicationsto enable care homes, and other providers, to promote good practice in dementia care. They also have a range of training courses suited to all levels of skill and knowledge.

'Tomorrow is another day' is only available for the Alzheimer's Soiety Approved Trainers to purhase. All trainers wishing to deliver part one of the new training resource 'Tomorrow is another day' will need to apply and will need to be approved to a minimum of Bronze standard. Those wishing to deliver part two of the resource (currently in production) will need to be approved to a minimum of Silver standard.

For further information please go to'Tomorrow is another day' or you can send and email to workforcedevelopment@alzheimers.org.uk.

DementiaUK

DementiaUK Training specialises in the provision of high quality training courses for those who work with older people and people with dementia.

A modular training programme designed by DementiaUK Training in partnership with the DSDC Network and accredited by the Open College Network.

This is a six-month programme which aims to provide learners with an in-depth knowledge and enhance their skills in providing care for people with dementia and their carers.

Please click on Accredited Programme for a full list of certificated programmes available.

For further information you can send an email to: training@dementiauk.org.

Social Care Institute for Exellence (SCIE)

SCIE in partnership with care provider associations is offering training on the Mental Capacity Act.

The training sessions are free to staff working in organisations registered with CQC to provide adult social care.

This includes care homes, nursing homes and domiciliary / home care amongst others.

There are sessions particular to staff working with adults who have learning disabilities and those who work in adult social care but not in a care setting.

Training sessions are all aimed at senior staff and managers. There is a limit of three staff from any one provider on each course.

Further courses can be arranged in other parts of England and Wales.

For Course and contact details are as follows:

To reserve places email David.Thompson@scie.org.uk or phone 020 7831 7090 with the following information:

• Name
• Position
• Name of Adult Social Care Provider
• Care Provider Association membership (if any)

Local

Carers Centres

Carers Support Workers for South and Vale on 01235 510 212 or email: carers@svcarers.org.uk are able to assist carers with completing forms for Attendance Allowance, Carers Allowance, etc.

Carers Dementia Training

Carers Dementia Training consists of three half day sessions to inform and support you in your role as an informal carer of a person with a newly diagnosed dementia.

Dates available:

Oxford - September 2011 Banbury - October 2011 Abingdon - November 2011

Please contact Amy Cottingham for more details on 01865 323207 or email amy.cottingham@oxfordshire.gov.uk. Also, see leaflet for more details.

Please Note: That travel and replacement care costs can be covered whilst you are attending the training.

Oxfordshire Carers' Forum (OCF) - Confidence 2 Care

Oxfordshire Carers' Forum are very excited about this new programme as it is a tailored and compact version of the original Caring with Confidence programme and is designed to focus on the current needs of adult carers.

OCF will be inviting speakers to discuss carers' benefits and will be teaming up with Carers' Oxfordshire to promote the continuance of carers groups.

There is limited funding but the Forum will also endeavour to assist individuals who feel they cannot leave the person they care for.

If you feel some else may also benefit from this programme please let them know in any way via website, email, windows, groups, home visits, etc. C2C need carers to register their interest to enable us to forward plan for other areas in the county.

Supporting Someone at Home?

Confidence 2 Care can help you in this new programme of 5 FREE weekly sessions lasting 2.5 hours with refreshments provided and an opportunity to meet other people in siimilar situations as yourself.

Sessions content includes:

What to do and how to deal with an emergency
Balancing caring commitments with other needs
Improving health and wellbeing
Tips and strategies on how to make a positive difference to your life and that of the person you care for
Resources available to carers and how to get the most out of them

Scheduled programmes: (Dates may vary slightly)

Bicester - Begins Thursday 13^th October 2011 at 10:00am-12:30pm
Henley - Begins Tuesday 1^st November 2011
Banbury - Begins Wednesday 9^th November 2011
Witney - Begins Thursday 19^th January 2012
Oxford - Begins Wednesday 1^st February 2012

Working Carers Oxford - Begins March 2012

For more details or to register please conatct Emma on 01235 520463 or email emma@oxoncarersforum.org.uk

There are limited places available and booking is essential.

Please Note: Oxfordshire Carers' Forum have now a new number: 01235 520440

Oxford Carers' Forum The Charter, 2 Floor Abingdon Oxfordshire OX14 3LZ Tel: 01235 520440 Email: support@oxoncarersforum.org.uk

Awards in Awareness of Dementia/Certificates in Dementia Care

Develop your knowledge, skills and understanding of dementia with a City & Guilds qualification

What are the Qualifications about?

Currently 700,000 people in the UK have dementia and this figure is expected to double over the next few decades. The Awards in Awareness of Dementia/Certificates in Dementia Care will help to improve health and care services supporting individuals diagnosed with dementia.

Who are they for?

The qualifications in awareness of dementia and dementia care are aimed at occupational areas across all service user groups and ages, working in statutory (including NHS), private and voluntary agencies. This also includes healthcare/care assistants, support/key workers, family support workers and team leaders/first line supervisors.

What are the Awards?

City & Guilds Award in Awareness of Dementia (Levels 2 & 3) QCF

Provides accreditation for learners' knowledge and understanding of this specialised area of care.

Updates the knowledge and understanding of this specialised area of care of those already employed in a care role.

These Awards require assessment of knowledge only through completion of set assignments via a Distance Learning programme.

Learners are expected to carry out their own internet based research and/or reading in order to complete written assignments within agreed deadlines.

City & Guilds Certificate in Dementia care (Levels 2 and 3) QCF

These qualifications are aimed at those who are already working in care roles with individuals with dementia and provide an opportunity to have thier knowledge and skills recognised through the achievement of a nationally accredited qualification.

They assess learners' competence, i.e their ability to competently perform a range of tasks in areas of practice such as person centred working, communication and interaction, equality and diversity, individuals' rights and choices.

Further information about these qualifications can be found on: http://www.cityandguilds.com/59412.html?s=2

Alternatively, you can contact: dorte.chandler@oxfordshire.gov.uk or 01865 797268 for more information and/or an application pack. 'Flyer'

Oxfordshire County Council Dementia Care Courses

OCC Learning and Development provide a range of free training courses, based around the skills for care standards. This includes one specifically called Introduction to Dementia Care, which is 5.5 hours long and is delivered to groups of 8 or more carers.

Target Group

The course is for unqualified care staff working in Social & Community Services, or the independent sector, that care for people with dementia. Unpaid carers can also attend the planned sessions.

Objectives

By the end of this course, participants will have had the opportunity to:

Look at the importance of valuing and respecting each person with dementia in their care
Consider the care they provide from the person with dementia's point of view
Gain an understanding of how to support people with dementia to do as much as they can for themselves
Understand the importance of meaningful activity in maintaining a person's skills and self worth
Learn how to support people with dementia to eat and drink and with their personal care

Dates and Venue

The Introduction to Dementia Care course runs about once a month, at venues around Oxfordshire Phone 01865 797123 for further information or book online now for relevant Learning and Development events.

Additional dates are available at your own venue for groups of 8 or more staff or carers. Phone 01865 797123 for further information.

Guideposts Trust

Guideposts Trust has a new Dementia Care Development Pack to help care staff in care homes and in the community as well as family carers understand and help the older person with dementia. The pack has been produced following a Department of Health research project lasting 3 years.

It introduces ways of working within organisations to help staff identify where they need to improve practice and also how to utilise learning more effectively. The bulk of the pack is devoted to specific information about ageing and dementia. The 10 part dementia section covers subjects such as eating and drinking, the enabling environment, activity and occupation.

Here is a pdf of the flyer

Contact details:

Jill Conroy
Practice Development Consultant
Two Rivers
Station Road
Witney
Oxfordshire
OX28 4BH

Tel: 01993 772886

Email: jconroy@guidepoststrust.org.uk

SPECAL

SPECAL (Specialised Early Care for Alzheimer's) is a person-centred dementia care charity undertaking ground-breaking work with older people who have dementia of the Alzheimer's type.

SPECAL helps clients to live contentedly by associating their long-term memories with their current experience.

SPECAL also works with the carers, families and friends of people who have dementia, and professionals working in the field of dementia who have an interest in the SPECAL approach.