Dementia Courses: Age Concern Post Graduate Course for Registered Nurses in Dementia Training

There are five dementia programs available at Age Concern;

1. Post Graduate Program for Registered Nurses
2. Dementia Program for Enrolled Nurses (Div 2 nurses)
3. Certificate Course (In-Service)
4. Assessment and Care Planning
5. Dementia Care consultancy program

Post Graduate Program for Registered Nurses

Availability: Australia, all States, Territories & regions.
Internationally, most countries.

This is the first dementia course, for registered nurses (Vic. Div 1 & Div 3 nurses), to be fully recognised by an Australian university. The University of Queensland will offer credits to successful applicants at Master's level. Other universities to whom students have applied have also recognised the course.

Nurses, consider having your knowledge and skills recognised..

This Post Graduate Dementia Program has been endorsed by APEC number 05021185 on behalf of Royal College of Nursing, Australia according to approved criteria. Attendance of this Post Graduate Dementia Program earns you 25 Continuing Nursing Education (CNE) points as part of the Royal College of Nursing, Australia Life Long Learning Program (3LP).

For nurses the course may:

support your funding claims and care for accreditation
expand your job opportunities
support your position with a qualification

For management the course may:

give you a marketing edge
provide appropriately prepared staff for accreditation and funding claims

The course is based on practical knowledge and will provide students with:

the latest information on all types of dementia
skills in using internationally accepted assessment tools from which care plans can be developed
best and contemporary practice methods of behaviour management
documentation skills
which tools will support funding claims

ASSESSMENT

Assessment is by a two part case study and a medication audit.

PROGRAM CONTENT

Professional Nursing Issues. Includes ethics, research and evidence based practice in dementia nursing.
Differentiating Delirium from Dementia. Causes, mortality of delirium, nursing assessment, tools and management. Recognising delirium and introducing practices to reduce risk.
Dementia Syndromes. Irreversible dementia syndromes, nursing assessment, tools and management. Includes vascular dementia, Pick's disease, Creutzfeld Jakob and Lewy body.
Alzheimer's Disease. Pathophysiology, the risk factors, latest research, symptom presentation, assessment tools and procedures.
Differentiating Depression from Dementia. Depression types, symptom presentation, behaviours, nursing assessment, tools, treatments and management.
Pharmacology and Ageing. Includes half-life, steady states, and the use of medication for dementia symptoms.
Cognitive, Conative and Affective Losses in Alzheimer's disease and related disorders. The symptoms, assessment tools, interventions, activities and evaluation.
Progressively Lowered Stress Threshold. A nursing model of care for Sundowner's syndrome, aggression, anxiety, wandering. Includes the assessment tools, management strategies, therapies and evaluation of care.
Dementia Staging & wandering, the types and the interventions. Is it useful to stage dementia? How many types of wandering?
Care Planning. Planning for twenty-four hours, optimal and individual care.
Meeting the standards. The funding tool and supporting your claims.

PROGRAM OPTIONS

Face to Face Program
This is a five (consecutive) day program. The lecturers include some of Australia's leading researchers in dementia. Provides one to one support during presentation of material and also allows students to network and find support within a region or an agency. Organisations, agencies or regions can arrange a face to face course presentation for their own staff or a group of colleagues in their region.

Australia AU$770 per student. A minimum of fifteen (15) registered nurses (Division 1 & 3) is required for a course. Age Concern Pty. Ltd. will arrange and pay all lecturers' travel and accommodation costs.
Other countries AU$770 per student. A minimum of twenty-five (25) registered nurses is required for a course.

Distance Program (Age Concern Pty Ltd Live Classroom)

Option One

This is a ‘live’ distance program conducted four times a year. The program is conducted for eight (8) weeks, two sessions per week, each for one and half (1½) hours. The content is exactly as per the face to face program.

Attend professional development and network with colleagues without having to travel!

You simply connect to the internet. Using a special web address and password that we supply you are able to access our ‘live’ classroom and fully interact with your facilitator/s and professional colleagues. When in the Age Concern Pty Ltd live classroom you are able to see the slides, the whiteboard and talk in real time with all those present.

If you cannot connect at the set times times (for any reason) you can listen to the sessions (archived version) at another, pre-arranged time, preferably within the 24 hours, and send any questions to the facilitator/s by email. The archived sessions are full recordings of the original sessions, that is, every word that is spoken, every word written on the white board, you see all the slides and even the evaluation form.

We provide you with the headset, microphone, audio-visuals, hard copies of slides and all your readings.

Program fee is $770 per person. There is a part payment plan available for those who require it.

Option Two

You purchase the archived program. You will be able to email any questions to the facilitators and request clarification of any points. We provide you with the headset, microphone, audio-visuals, hard copies of slides and all your readings. Program fee is $770 per person. There is a part payment plan for those who require it.

Click here for bookings or enquiries.

Dementia Program for Enrolled Nurses (Div 2 nurses)

This is a ‘live’ distance program is conducted four times a year. The program is conducted for five (5) weeks, two sessions per week, each for one and half (1½) hours.

This Dementia Program for EN has been endorsed by APEC number 05021185 on behalf of Royal College of Nursing, Australia according to approved criteria. Attendance of this Dementia Program for EN’s earns you 15 Continuing Nursing Education (CNE) points as part of the Royal College of Nursing, Australia Life Long Learning Program (3LP).

Attend professional development and network with colleagues without having to travel!

You simply connect to the internet. Using a special web address and password that we supply, you are able to access our ‘live’ classroom and fully interact with your facilitator/s and professional colleagues. When in the Age Concern Pty Ltd live classroom you are able to see the slides, the whiteboard and talk in real time with all those present.

If you cannot connect at the set times (for any reason) you can listen to the sessions (archived version) at another, pre-arranged time, preferably within the 24 hours, and send any questions to the facilitator/s by email. The archived sessions are full recordings of the original sessions, that is, every word that is spoken, every word written on the white board, you see all the slides and even the evaluation form.

Topics include:

Professional nursing issues including an introduction to evidence based nursing, research and ethics.

Documentation for ACFI.

Causes of delirium (acute confusion) nursing assessment and management.
Reversible and irreversible dementia syndromes includes Alzheimer’s, Lewy Body, vascular dementia and Pick’s disease and other frontal lobe dementia. Incorporates care issues for each.
Depression types, contributing factors symptom presentation, non-medical management.
The symptoms, management strategies, therapies and evaluation of care for cognitive, planning and personality losses in Alzheimer’s dementia.
Assessing and managing challenging behaviours such as aggression, anxiety, wandering, sexual responses
Stages of Dementia - Care Planning for Aged Care Facilities.

Assessment - There is a Case Study 1000 words

Program fee is $440 (including GST). If required please call us regarding our payment plan.

Dementia Certificate Course (In-Service)

Availability:

Australia, all States, Territories & regions.
Internationally, most countries, some changes to progam time-table.

This program has been modified from the Post Graduate Dementia Program for registered nurses as is recognised by University of Queensland. The pitch of the program may be changed to meet the needs of staff at all levels.

This program has bee delivered to the staff of Australian hospitals.

The program has been developed into four sessions each of three hour duration and can be adapted to all staffing levels.

To facilitate staff attendance the morning session will be repeated in the afternoon.

A validated tool will be used to assess dementia knowledge pre and post progam.

On the first day, each participant will receive a work folder of the main audio-visuals used, with copies of the goals, references and suggested readings.

To receive the Certificate of Recognition, each person attending the course will be expected to complete all the sessions and the Practice Assignment.

PROGRAM ONE (1) DELIRIUM VS DEMENTIA

International criteria for delirium
The high mortality/morbidity rate, a nursing issue
Differentiating delirium from dementia
Using the validated delirium screening tools
Nursing protocol to assess cause
Common causes and nursing interventions to reduce risk of delirium

Practice Assessment

PROGRAM TWO (2) DEPRESSION VS DEMENTIA

International criteria for both depression and dementia
Validated screening tools for depression
The 'behaviours' frequently observed in depressed elderly people
Symptom presentation of the most common dementia's including Lewy body dementia, Pick's/frontal lobe dementia, vascular dementia, Alzheimer's disease & alcohol dementia
Using validated cognitive screening tools to direct nursing care
Understanding the 'terms' in dementia care

Practice Assessment

PROGRAM THREE (3) ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE CARE

Clustering the symptoms for effective care
Using a conceptual framework to plan and evaluate care
Nursing strategies for the symptoms of cognitive, losses and how to write the Care Plan
Nursing strategies for the symptoms of affective losses and how to write the Care Plan
Nursing strategies for the symptoms of conative/planning losses and how to write the Care Plan
Staging dementia

Practice Assessment

PROGRAM FOUR (4) BEHAVIOURS IN DEMENTIA & OTHER CONDITIONS

Identifying the 'behaviours' associated with clients who have a dementia syndrome - aggression (verbal & physical), wandering (types), anxiety, paranoia, and catastrophic reactions
The identified major stressors which may cause the 'behaviours' in residents with dementia
Planning and introducing individualised interventions on Care Plans
Medication vs. planned nursing care
Objective evaluation of nursing interventions for clients with behaviours

Practice Assessment

Australian fee (all States, Territories and regions)
Course fee of AU$990 per program day, based on a maximum attendance of 30 participants per day. Some travel and accommodation costs may be added, please call our office for details

International fee is as above, plus all travel and accommodation, based on a maximum attendance of 30 participants per day.

The fee includes:

GST (Australia)
student material
time allocated for marking the written Practice Assignments

Click here for bookings or enquiries.

Dementia Assessment and Care Planning

Availability:

Australia, all States, Territories & regions.
Internationally, some modification of program required for local focus.

This in-service, practice oriented program involves Age Concern staff assisting your staff in assessing for care needs and developing an individualised Care Plan for one resident. It is about minimising documentation but maximising its effect for the individual resident and funding.

This is not 'selling' you another Care Plan or package, but how to use yours effectively.

This program incorporates the legal and professional requirements of documentation as well as clarifying the requirements for maximising funding and compliance with the accreditation standards.

This progam would be worth considering if:

your Care Plan rivals 'War and Peace' in length
your Care Plan is RCS based
your Care Plan is funding based
for behaviours you are only using the ACFI forms
your Care Plan is full of the words 'prompt', 'assist' and 'encourage'
your staff don't read or follow the Care Plan
you are only using PAS for cognitive assessment

This program includes:

how to maximise the ACFI tools and the other tools you still require
how to translate the findings of PAS & other cognitive data into effective care strategies
which words to use and those to avoid on the Care Plans and other documents
legal and professional aspects of your Care Plan and other documents

How the program works and what is included.

With the Face to Face Option an Age Concern Pty. Ltd. staff member comes to your facility to conduct this program.

With the Distance Option (Age Concern Pty Ltd Live Classroom) you scan and email or post copies of your documentation etc. to Age Concern Pty Ltd, then we meet in the Age Concern Pty Ltd live classroom and proceed as per the face to face program. The only difference is that this option may be divided into short sessions so staff may attend to other duties if ‘on the floor’.

You choose a resident whom you would like re-assessed and his or her Care Plan reviewed or validated.

As we work through the different areas of needs the discussions include details of what is regarded as contemporary practice.

References are provided for details of care needs and the assessment forms.

Day One

0900 - 1030 hours (This is lecture format, with Chapter 5)
Discussion on assessment forms, the role of the Care Plan and other documentation. Legal aspects of documentation.

Includes words to use and words to avoid. Review of assessment forms in use, Care Plans and documentation. Discussion on maximising the effectiveness of these forms

1045 hours
Assessment of selected client with staff present. Review of history, in consultation of staff available.

1300 - 1600 (Workshop presentation)
Step by step development of Care Plan, with your staff, from the findings of the morning assessment.
Teaches staff what words to avoid and which are the most effective, how to build-in accountability for resident care.

Day 2 - A second day is optional and may:

be a repeat of Day 1 with different staff members, a great way to have all the staff working with the same knowledge level relating to documentation or
comprise of your staff completing further assessments and Care Plan with supervision, to ensure competency

Program Fees - Face To Face

Australia (all States, Territories and regions)
AU$990 per day, plus travel and accommodation costs where applicable.

Program Fees - Distance Option (Age Concern Pty Ltd Live Classroom) Fee

Australia (all States, Territories and regions)
AU$880 per day (six hours).

Click here for bookings or enquiries.

Contemporary Dementia Care Program

Availability:

Australia, all States, Territories & regions.
Internationally, most countries.

This in-service program assists your staff to change from a Special Care Unit to a unit of excellence in DEMENTIA CARE in as little as five days.

Contemporary Dementia care is about:

efficient time management
reduced wandering in all residents
reduced out bursts of verbal and physical aggression
staff understanding the reasons 'behind' all behaviours
staff understanding how to develop activity programs for all types of dementia
how to reduce Sundowner's syndrome
meeting Accreditation, Continuous Improvement Standards, and
maximising your funding claims

How the program works and what is included.
Age Concern staff are on the floor with your staff observing practices and effecting changes as required. This provides one to one training and great individual staff support, particularly for those who have difficulty with change.

Age Concern staff will be available at least once during an evening and night shift, each of the different mealtimes, morning and evening 'routines' as well as an activity program. The number of hours we allocate to the different shifts and activities will depend on the program length you choose.

You may choose to arrange some structured lectures during our visit. Please see a selection of lecture topics available.

The program also includes:

a review and discussion of all care related documentation, particularly in relation to funding and legal requirements
a written report of visit detailing findings, suggestions, references and changes already accomplished with confirmation of staff commitment

Program Options

Three (3) day program. Age Concern staff will work split shifts to have contact with as many staff as possible. At least one visit to the unit will be conducted during an evening and a night duty shift, and twice for each meal time and during the morning 'routine'.

Program Fees
Australia (all States, Territories and regions)
AU$880 per day, plus travel and accommodation costs where applicable.

Other countries
As above plus all travel and accommodation costs. Not available in all countries, please contact us regarding availability.

Five (5) day program, Age Concern staff will work split shifts to have contact with most staff at least once, and cover as many activities as possible. At least two visits to the unit will be conducted during the evening and night duty shifts, and twice for each meal time and the morning 'routine'. May include a week-end day at no extra cost. Facilities believe the five day program really results in change because of the staff contact time.

Program Fees

Australia (all States, Territories and regions)
AU$990 per day, plus travel and accommodation costs where applicable

Other countries
As above plus all travel and accommodation costs.

NOTE
Both options include a comprehensive and referenced report, to assist with changes and/or to demonstrate Continuous Improvement.

Click here for bookings or enquiries.