To build competency and capability of Care Professionals, the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) developed the Dementia Care Competency Framework to align the training pathways. This alignment was made to improve the quality of care provided to persons living with dementia and support for their caregivers.
This article expands upon this framework to list the available training programmes for Care Professionals wishing to upgrade their knowledge and skills in the various fields of dementia care.
Dementia Care Competency Framework 2016
Source: Agency for Integrated Care
This guide was developed for health and social care workers in the intermediate and long term care and community sector. It provides in-depth information on the structure and competency domains of the framework.
Foundational Level
For individuals with no prior training in dementia, who may have minimal or brief contact with persons living with the condition. These e-learning or training courses are centred on building dementia awareness as well as basic techniques to communicate and assist persons living with dementia in the community.
1. Agency for Integrated Care
Dementia Awareness: Foundation Level
Key modules include:
- What is Dementia, its types, and risk factors
- ABCD Signs and Symptoms of Dementia
- Interacting & communicating with people living with dementia
- Ways to reduce the risk of getting dementia
- Dementia-Friendly Communities
Participants will receive a certificate upon completion of the evaluation form and module.
Basic Level
For Care Professionals in health and social services who have direct contact assisting persons living with dementia in their course of work. These training courses aim to provide learners with the knowledge of the impact of dementia and the use of person-centred care approaches when caring for persons living with the condition.
1. Agency for Integrated Care
Dementia Care Basic Level –
Person-Centred Care and Behaviours of Concern
Through this e-learning course, participants will learn how to:
- Describe the concept of Person-Centred Care
- Recognise the philosophy of care of persons living with dementia
- Define the VIPS
- Classify the unmet needs
- Manage the behaviours of concern
Participants will receive a certificate upon completion of the evaluation form and module.
Dementia Care Basic Level –
The Brain and Understanding of Dementia
Through this e-learning course, participants will learn how to:
- Recognise the importance of activities/ engagement for a person living with dementia
- Describe what a meaningful activity is
- Assess the individual’s needs and abilities
- Plan activities for persons living with dementia
Participants will receive a certificate upon completion of the evaluation form and module.
Dementia Care Basic Level –
Enriching Lives
Through this e-learning course, participants will learn how to:
- Recognise the importance of activities/ engagement for a person living with dementia
- Describe what a meaningful activity is
- Assess the individual’s needs and abilities
- Plan activities for persons living with dementia
Participants will receive a certificate upon completion of the evaluation form and module.
Interested participants who wish to register for courses available on the AIC LMS are required to sign up and create an account before proceeding with registration.
2. Dementia Singapore
A. Understanding Dementia – Nature & Impact*
This training course aims to introduce learners to dementia and its impact on those affected by the condition. Learners are also introduced to the principles of Person-Centred Care and how best to support persons living with dementia in everyday activities through a person-centred lens.
Course objectives:
- Describe the signs and symptoms of dementia, delirium and depression
- Identify the common causes and risk factors of dementia
- Describe the impact of dementia on the person with dementia and family caregivers
- Recognise the principles of Person-Centred Care
- Identify ways in which we can assist the person with dementia in everyday activities to enhance their well-being.
B. Introduction to Person-Centred Care*
This training course aims to provide learners with strategies to promote person-centred care and apply self-care strategies for both professional care staff and family caregivers.
Course objectives:
- Explain the impact of the environment on persons with dementia
- Identify strategies for promoting person-centred care
- Describe the impact of dementia on professional staff
- Recognise signs and symptoms of stress, compassion fatigue, and burnout
- Apply self-care strategies for self and caregivers
C. Behavioural Communication in Dementia*
This training course aims to equip learners with strategies for effective communication with persons living with dementia and facilitate understanding of behaviour change as a means of communicating unmet needs, to apply a range of options to manage the impact of behaviour change.
Course objectives:
- Describe the impact of dementia on communication
- Identify strategies for effective communication with a person with dementia
- Understand behaviour associated with dementia
- Identify potential triggers for behaviour associated with dementia
- Identify a range of options for managing the impact of behaviour
- change
- Identify signs that would alert you to the possibility of elder abuse
D. Purposeful & Meaningful Engagement in Dementia Care*
This training course aims to equip learners with the knowledge and skills to promote meaningful activity and engagement to meet individual needs of persons living with dementia.
Course objectives:
- Recognise the value of promoting meaningful activity for and engagement with persons living with dementia
- Identify goals of engagement to promote different aspects of wellbeing
- Identify ways of adapting activities to meet individual needs
- Develop an individualised activity plan for a person with dementia
E. Palliative Approach to Dementia Care*
This training course aims to provide learners with an understanding of how persons living with dementia can be supported with a palliative care approach relating to their physical, psychosocial, and spiritual needs.
Course objectives:
- Appreciate the importance of Palliative Care approach in dementia care
- Identify symptoms associated with End of Life (EOL)
- Identify ways to manage symptoms associated with EOL
- Recognise cultural and religious differences associated with death and dying
- Identify how you can integrate the learning from the course into your care practices
F. Enabling EDIE (Educational Dementia Immersive Experience)
This is an immersive workshop that enables participants to see the world through the eyes of a person living with dementia. Utilising high-quality virtual reality technology, this workshop enhances their knowledge of the impact of dementia and adopt reablement approaches that will improve the quality of life for persons living with dementia.
Course objectives:
- Describe the perspective of a person with dementia
- Identify support needs in partnership with the person with dementia and their caregiver
- Develop a dementia support plan that focuses on enabling a person with dementia Explain the impact of the environment on persons with dementia
*Participants who complete courses (A) – (E) will attain a Certificate of Accomplishment in “Foundations of Person-Centred Dementia Care”.
3. Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital
ITE Skills Certification in Healthcare – Dementia Care (Basic)
This course aims to equip participants with knowledge of basic healthcare and home care such as providing oral feeding, personal grooming and hygiene services as well as basic dementia care.
On course completion, participants will be able to work as Health Care Assistants (HCA) in the Community Care sector, especially in nursing homes or community hospitals that require basic knowledge and skillsets for dementia care.
4. St. Luke’s ElderCare
Care of Client with Dementia (Basic)
This 2-full day course is designed, in line with DCCF Framework to provide learners with the basic knowledge and skills to improve well-being of persons living with dementia and their caregivers.
Course objectives:
- Describe what is dementia, signs and symptoms
- Understand how condition impacts persons living with dementia and their caregivers
- Apply Person Centred Care (PCC) approach
- Facilitate holistic activities to promote independence and abilities
- Understand common behaviours of concerns and learn strategies to address them
- Demonstrate effective communication techniques
- Recognise when a person with dementia experiences harm, abuse and neglect
- Identify self-care strategies to manage stress for self and caregivers in the caring journey of persons with dementia
Intermediate Level
For Direct Care Staff in the health and social services who have contact and provide direct support to persons living with dementia and their caregivers, may have a guiding or supervisory roles, or are able to influence workplace processes. These training courses will enable care staff to adopt person-centred approaches into their care practice; develop, implement and review care plans; and create dementia-friendly environments and activities.
1. Dementia Singapore
A. Integrated Care for Dementia (Intermediate)
Grounded on evidence-based practice, this blended learning course equips learners with theoretical frameworks, evaluation tools, and intervention strategies to address and support the multiple needs of persons living with dementia and their caregivers across medical, psychological and social domains. This course provides learners with the necessary knowledge and skills to embark on their journey as an entry level dementia practitioner in the community care sector.
Course objectives:
- Apply Person-Centred Care approaches to care planning for persons living with dementia
- Understand health and neurological impairment
- Assess the needs of caregivers to provide information and referral to access relevant health and social services
- Recognise ethical principles, regulatory and legislations relevant to dementia
- Provide activities to maximise autonomy and promote wellbeing
- Develop and implement techniques which minimise the impact of changed behaviour
B. Implement Namaste Care (Intermediate)
Namaste Care is a structured intervention for persons living with advanced dementia, which incorporates sensory intervention, social contact and environmental modification. It aims to honour each person for their unique personhood, nurturing the individual spirit with meaningful activities and a loving touch approach, within a calm and home-like environment.
This blended course aims to provide learners with theoretical and practical knowledge of delivering Namaste Care as a specialised intervention for persons living with dementia in their settings.
C. Reminiscence Arts for Dementia
Reminiscence Arts for Dementia is a facilitated learning journey which prepares learners to conduct small-group interactive reminiscence arts sessions for persons living with dementia using objects, storytelling, and artwork materials.
It aims to guide learners with theoretical and practical knowledge of preparing individual profiles and build these characteristics into their design, preparation, and implementation of reminiscence group activities. Live demonstration and skills practice are expected in this programme, where the key principles of person-centred approaches are spotlighted, deepened, and integrated in the group learning.
D. Dementia Care Mapping (DCM) for Realising Person-Centred Care
This course aims to provide participants with the knowledge of person-centred dementia care and its application in practice in the care setting in which they work, as well as the ability to use DCM™ to assess and make recommendations for the realisation of person-centred dementia care in the care setting in which they work.
Course objectives:
- Describe the psychological needs of people with dementia, and ways to meet them.
- Use the four phases of a DCM™ practice development cycle: briefing, observation, feedback, and action planning to realise person-centred care.
- Brief colleagues on the purpose and conduct of DCM™ practice development cycles in your place of work.
- Use DCM™ to appraise and make recommendations for realizing person-centred care.
- Engage in collaborative action planning with care staff.
2. St. Luke's ElderCare
Care of Client with Dementia (Intermediate)
This 4-full day course is designed, in line with DCCF Framework to upskill learners to provide supervisory and guiding role to staff under their care in using person centred approaches, and influence change in workplace practices and processes to enrich quality of life of persons living with dementia and their caregivers
Course objectives:
- Describe different types of dementia, causes and its implications to practice
- Distinguish between dementia, delirium and depression
- Discuss multi-dimensional changing needs and management of persons with dementia at different stages
- Create Dementia Friendly Environments (Social and Physical)
- Apply non-pharmacological approaches in managing behaviours of concern associated with dementia
- Plan, design and facilitate person-centred activities to maximise successful engagement
- Describe use of palliative care in persons with dementia
- Recognise importance of caring for self and developing positive coping techniques
- List community services available to provide support and respite to caregivers
- Identify process involved to support persons with dementia who may be experiencing neglect, harm or abuse
3. St. Luke's Hospital
Becoming Dementia Care Ready! (Intermediate)
This course covers the seven core competency domains required of an individual in supporting persons with dementia. The course focuses on in-depth knowledge and skills required in providing direct care and support to persons with dementia and their caregivers.
Course objectives:
- Assess persons with Dementia
- Apply Person-Centred Care at Work
- Support the well-being of Persons with Dementia
- Minimise the impact of Behaviours of Concern
- Maintain the Dignity, skill and Health of persons with Dementia
- Assist persons with Dementia in Palliative Care
- Assist caregivers to support Persons with Dementia
4. The Palliative Care Centre for Excellence in Research and Education (PalC)
Geriatric Palliative Care in Advanced Dementia
This course aims to develop learners’ theoretical and practical knowledge in delivering competent, evidence-informed palliative care in advanced dementia.
Course objectives:
- Identify patients’ needs
- Manage symptom Issues
- Provide for continuity of care
- Prognosticate reasonably
- Carry out end-of-life discussions with patients and caregivers
- Provide support to caregivers
Advanced Level
Relevant for Specialists in the health and social services setting who have the expertise in caring, treating and supporting persons living with dementia and their caregivers, and play a supervisory and guiding role at the workplace or clinical setting.
1. Dementia Singapore
Dementia Care Mapping (DCM) for Supported Living
Adapting DCM to support home-based care settings. The application of DCM for Supported Living will allow you to assess and make recommendations to the care of the person with dementia living at home. It also provides evidence-based feedback to care staff working in the home setting.
Course objectives:
- Understand the purpose and conduct of using DCM™ in homebased care settings.
- Carry out DCM™ coding and data processing for DCM™ in homebased care settings.
- Provide evidence-based feedback to staff working in home-based
- care.
- Identify a developmental plan for staff working in home-based care
This course is available upon request.
2. Social Service Institute
Leadership and Management for Dementia Care Services
This programme is designed with the overall aim of preparing staff to lead and manage dementia care services successfully. Participants will review their personal skills and traits as leaders. They will be introduced to different leadership theories, focusing in more depth on outcome-based leadership and organizational learning. The programme also covers managing the quality of Dementia Care services, motivation of employees and conflict Management.
Course objectives:
- Demonstrate the importance of interpersonal skills and teamwork in Dementia Care Services.
- Apply leadership theories and frameworks
- Use outcome-based leadership tools to evaluate potential improvements to Dementia Care Services.
- Use organisational learning tools to analyse departmental and organizational problems.
- Use quality improvement tools to use to monitor and evaluate improvements in departmental or organizational processes.
- Apply conflict resolution strategies in Dementia Care Services
To view more courses on dementia care, visit the AIC LMS Marketplace.