Dementia Dialogues Course Description

Part One: The Basic Facts (An Introduction to Dementia)

Objectives:

1. Participants will learn signs and symptoms of dementia.
2. Participants will learn causes and treatment strategies for persons with dementia.
3. Participants will learn differences between dementia and delirium.

Part Two: Keeping the Dialogue Going (Communication Skills)

Objectives:

1. Participants will understand the challenges of communication with persons with dementia.
2. Participants will learn effective techniques for communication with persons with dementia.
3. Participants will learn how to interpret non-verbal communication from persons with dementia.

Part Three: It's a Different World, Environment (Safety and Helpful Hints)

Objectives:

1. Participants will become aware of environmental factors, that may affect the safety and behavior of individuals with dementia.
2. Participants will learn strategies to facilitate caregiving of persons with dementia.
3. Participants will understand the term "normalization" and the implications for caregiving.

Part Four: It's Nothing Personal (Addressing Challenging Behaviors)

Objectives:

1. Participants will be able to identify "challenging behaviors" for residents with dementia.
2. Participants will learn to identify possible causes of certain behaviors through observation and monitoring.
3. Participants will learn effective solutions to prevent challenging behaviors.

Part Five: Now What Do I Do? (Creative Problem Solving)

Objectives:

1. Participants will review steps in identifying causes of problem behaviors.
2. Participants will learn specific solutions to prevent challenging behaviors.