I have had a long career in aged care in Australia, and so am fairly well up to speed on dementia issues. I was more interested in seeing how the learning experience "works" although the knowledge update won't go astray! Access to such a wide variety of participants from a broad range of backgrounds and interests is wonderful, perspectives, beliefs, insights and learnings are all being shared.
Anyone working in aged care or caring for a family member with dementia, or just wanting to gain some understanding of the disease processes should access this programme. It is free, and as the paragraphs below indicate, is a small weekly commitment, minimum of three hours, is really all it takes. Each course runs for nine weeks, with some "catch up" time for anyone needing it at the end. A certificate of participation is available, and there are other opportunities for more advanced learning at the university following completion should that be what you want.
My daughter who works in a community service programme for older persons living at home, is also completing the course. She has had no formal training in dementia but is also finding the course rewarding and very user friendly.Technical support is available for anyone logging in, if necessary, or if issues arise during the course duration. Experts in aspects of dementia research, teaching, care etc. are all available for the student to access with questions or comments.
I'd recommend anyone with an interest to have a squiz at this course. Certainly if I was still actively employed in the aged care environment I would make sure as many of my employees (regardless of care environment or work role) undertook this course. The more we understand about the disease, the better we are able to structure quality care and service delivery outcomes for individuals needing those services...uhoh! I think this is me in cracked record mode, so I'd better stop now...Just note I'm giving two thumbs up for this course!
Thanks for visiting,
Di