This guide covers courses for dementia carers in the UK. Whether you’re an unpaid carer or employed carer, these courses can help you gain a better understanding of dementia, gain skills for communicating with someone with dementia, and ensuring you’re also looking after your own well-being.
Whether you are a paid carer looking after people with dementia in a care home setting, or an unpaid carer providing care for a family member or friend with dementia, a course designed specifically for someone in your situation can be invaluable.
Contents:
- Why take a course as a paid dementia carer?
- Why take a course as an unpaid carer?
- National dementia carer courses
- Courses for dementia carers in Scotland
- Courses for dementia carers in Wales
- Courses for dementia carers in England
Why take a course for paid dementia carers?
If you are employed as a carer – whether that’s working in a care home or providing at-home care to someone – providing care for someone with dementia can have a host of challenges that you may not have encountered before.
A course will not only enhance your career prospects by qualifying you to provide care for the many people across the UK living with dementia, but will also give you a far greater understanding of the condition and the behavioural challenges someone living with dementia may face.
Why take a course as an unpaid dementia carer?
There are hundreds of thousands of people across the UK providing unpaid care for family members or friends living with dementia. Despite that, being an unpaid carer can be stressful, overwhelming and isolated.
A course can help you understand the condition better, learn how to deal with stressful situations, take care of your own wellbeing, and also find a support network of healthcare professionals and other carers.
National UK Courses for Dementia Carers
Dementia Carers Count
Dementia Carers Count offers both three-day and one-day courses (note: these are currently on hold since the pandemic, so keep an eye out for when courses resume).
The courses are designed and run by healthcare professionals that aim to cover topics that help you in your role as a carer as well as helping you take care of yourself and your wellbeing.
SCIE Dementia Care Home Staff Courses
SCIE helps registered managers and front line care staff to develop their skills to meet the needs of people with dementia as well as their family.
The courses from SCIE are CPD-accredited, and cover a wide range of topics including the different types of dementia, how to communicate with someone with dementia and establish trust, and how to meet the needs of someone with dementia and their carers (i.e. unpaid carers that may be family or friends).
Future Learn
Future Learn has a number of free online courses to help people understand and care for people with dementia. This course can be taken by professionals looking to advance their career, as well as family carers wanting to gain a great understanding of dementia.
Courses on offer include one from University College London (UCL) on the Many Faces of Dementia, a course from University of East Anglia (UEA) on End-of-Life Care, and another from UCL covering dementia and the arts.
Skills for Carer Qualifications and Training
Skills for Care provide courses and training to support the development of paid carers for people living with dementia.
The organisation provides specific dementia qualifications at level 2 and 3, as well as shorter courses delivered by independent development providers that are recommended by Skills for Care.
Scotland: Courses for Dementia Carers
Alzheimer Society Scotland
Alzheimer Society in Scotland has a Carer Training programme designed specifically for family dementia carers. The courses tend to be tailored for the carers arriving to ensure the information given is accurate.
Courses covered include understanding dementia, how to communicate better with someone with dementia, how to handle behaviour challenges, as well as legal and financial issues surrounding dementia and caring for someone with dementia.
Wales: Courses for Dementia Carers
Dementia Roadmap Wales
Dementia Roadmap Wales has a useful carer training resource listing a number of organisations and services that provide training to both paid and unpaid dementia carers in Wales.
Courses on offer include training from Alzheimer’s Society Wales, Cwm Taf University Health Board, and Hywel Dda University Health Board.
England: Local Dementia Courses for Carers
Alzheimer’s Wiltshire
Alzheimer’s Support Wiltshire provide free online training courses for family and friends who are caring for someone with dementia living in Wiltshire.
The courses run for approximately six-weeks, and cover an overview of dementia, managing problems at home, legal/financial aspects of being a carer, looking after your own wellbeing, and more. The courses are also promoted as being helpful for carers looking to meet others in similar circumstances.
Dementia Roadmap Stockport
Dementia Roadmap Stockport has a number of resources available to dementia carers in Stockport, from events and workshops to online courses.
The resources listed here can include local workshops and support groups, as well as national online courses that carers may find useful.
Southwark Carers
The Alzheimer’s Society runs a carer’s information and support programme that is available to carers in SouthWark and Lambeth and help and the Kennington Alzheimer’s Society office.
Note: it’s unclear exactly when and how often these sessions are offered by Southwark Carers, but a contact number is provided to find out more.
Signal 4 Bracknell Forest
Signal 4 Bracknell Forest provides free guidance, support, and training for unpaid carers who care for someone in Bracknell Forest.
Topics covered include understanding dementia, memory and communication, legal issues, welfare, benefits, understanding new behaviours, and overall well being.
Worthing Dementia Hub
Dementia Friendly Worthing offers a course on dementia care and staying connected. The course aims to cover managing stress at home and diffusing difficult situations. This course is free of charge.
Buckinghamshire New University
Buckinghamshire New University (BNU) is a leading provider in CPD training, and offers this part-time 15 week course based in Uxbridge. The course is called Dementia Management and Care.
This course is most suitable for paid carers looking to enhance their career options. The course aims to develop carers’ knowledge and understanding of dementia, assessment and diagnosis, possible treatments, safeguarding issues, and more.
Finding more courses for dementia carers
Are you looking for a local dementia carers training course, but your local area isn’t listed above?
Contact your GP or your local council to find out if there are any trainings offered by local services near you. Alternatively, the online courses are available to carers for people with dementia across the UK.