Full Course Description

Dementia Support Group Leader’s Training: Revolutionize Support Group Skills for Dementia Caregivers and People Living with Dementia

Never has the need for dementia support groups been greater.

Research shows that support groups help participants by reducing depressive and anxious symptoms and enhancing caregiver efficacy and resilience. Research also shows that support groups provide a safe, supportive, nonjudgmental place to explore thoughts, feelings, and find meaning.

Whether you’re thinking about starting a support group for dementia caregivers or people living with dementia, or are already leading a support group, this training is for you! You will access essential knowledge and skills on support group theory and practice that will make you a more confident, competent, and compassionate support group leader. You will walk through challenges and strategies for in-person, virtual and hybrid support group options.

But that’s not all….further examples of the practice changing information you will have lifetime access to:

Examine the 8 central needs of dementia caregivers and utilize them as the framework for a dementia caregiver support group
Explain how mindfulness, improvisational movement, creativity, and cognitive activities can be integrated into a support group for people living with dementia

Included in the training materials, you will take away the framework, curricula, lesson plans, and practical how-to’s to establish a sustainable support group program for family caregivers and those on the dementia journey. The training has been designed for a wide audience of individuals, including mental health and medical professionals as well as a variety of allied health professionals and administrators.

Watch actual video segments from dementia caregiver support groups and support groups for people with dementia support. The real-life examples will be integrated throughout this program, along with explanations and analysis by an experienced multidisciplinary team to create an impactful and powerful training experience, unlike any you’ve had before. The expert team of presenters are all experienced support group leaders and authors of support group leader’s manuals.

Register today….for the only support group leader’s training that provides comprehensive knowledge about group theory and practice, as well as strategies to fine tune leaders’ skills to start a support group or improve an established leader’s competence and compassion! Don’t delay….be a part of the revolution to improve dementia care!

Program Information

Objectives

Explain the benefits of support groups for dementia caregivers and people living with dementia.
Distinguish between companioning and treating support group participants.
Analyze the five developmental phases of support groups.
Select the basic and advanced counseling skills that will facilitate group cohesion and growth.
Contrast the group versus individual participant causes of group process challenges and failures.
Formulate strategies to manage challenging group participants.
Explain how meaning deconstruction and reconstruction are useful in support groups for dementia caregivers.
Create a plan to implement in-person, virtual, or hybrid in-person/virtual support groups for dementia caregivers and/or people living with dementia in your setting.
Explain the benefits of support groups for people living with dementia.
Distinguish between the 8 central needs of dementia caregivers.
Evaluate the components of the overall curricula and individual sessions for closed- and open-ended support groups for dementia caregivers and people living with dementia
Create a support group curriculum and individual sessions that meet the needs for your work setting.
Explain the theory and practice of mindfulness as well as IMPROVment®, an improvisational movement curriculum, as applied to support groups for people living with dementia.

Outline

Knowledge and Skills for Support Group Leaders

Benefits of support groups
Companioning vs treating
Developmental phases of support groups
Basic counseling skills
Advanced counseling skills
Challenging group dynamics
Challenging individuals in the group
Meaning deconstruction and reconstruction
In-person vs virtual vs hybrid in-person/virtual support groups – challenges and strategies for each setting

Support Groups for Dementia Caregivers

The difference between a care partner and caregiver
Benefits of support groups for dementia caregivers and people living with dementia, including the evidence base, limitations, and potential risks
The 8 central needs of dementia caregivers
Mindfulness theory and practice for dementia caregivers
Session elements – mindfulness, check-in, educational lesson, discussion/Q&A, and homework
Curriculum for closed- and open-ended dementia caregiver groups

Support Groups for People Living with Dementia

Benefits of support groups for people living with dementia including the evidence base, limitations, and potential risks
Unique aspects of developmental phases, counseling skills, challenging participants, and meaning reconstruction in support groups for people living with dementia
Mindfulness for people living with dementia
IMPROVment® - an improvisational movement curriculum for people living with dementia
Session elements - mindfulness, improvisational movement (IMPROVment®), creativity, and domain-specific cognitive activities
Curriculum for closed- and open-ended support groups for people living with dementia

Target Audience

Nurses
Nurse Practitioners
Advanced Practice Registered Nurses
Clinical Nurse Specialists
Social Workers
Counselors
Psychologists
Psychotherapists
Psychiatrists
Case Managers
Marriage & Family Therapists
Nursing Home Administrator
Recreational Therapists
Activity Directors
Speech-Language Pathologists
Occupational Therapists
Occupational Therapy Assistants
Physicians
Physician Assistants
Physical Therapists
Physical Therapist Assistants

Copyright : 03/22/2023

Alzheimer’s Disease & Other Dementias Certification Training

This program is vital for anyone who works with dementia and needs skills and proven strategies to provide optimal care!

Watch Dr. Sherrie All as she provides you with the assessment tools and interventions you need to identify and differentiate between dementias, prevent and reduce difficult behaviors, and improve your ability to communicate with cognitively impaired patients!

More than just an overview of dementia and Alzheimer’s, this program will offer practical solutions to some of the most challenging real-life situations you face and bring you up to speed on the latest medications, preventative treatments, and advances in early detection that could impact your work.

Best of all, upon completion of this training, you’ll be eligible to become an Evergreen Certified Dementia Care Specialist (ECDCS) through Evergreen Certifications. Certification lets colleagues, employers, and clients know that you’ve invested the extra time and effort necessary to understand the complexities of dementia care. Professional standards apply. Visit www.evergreencertifications.com/ECDCS for details.

Sign up today! No matter your profession, you’ll leave this comprehensive program more confident in your ability to minimize challenging behavioral issues associated with dementia, improve communication with your patients, and provide the best care possible for this vulnerable population!

CERTIFICATION MADE SIMPLE!

No hidden fees – PESI pays for your application fee (a $99 value)*!
Simply complete this training and the included post-event evaluation, and your application to be an Evergreen Certified Dementia Care Specialist through Evergreen Certifications is complete.

Attendees will receive documentation of ECDCS designation from Evergreen Certifications 4 to 6 weeks following the program.

*Professional standards apply. Visit www.evergreencertifications.com/ECDCS for professional requirements.

Program Information

Objectives

Determine how the manifestations of each type of dementia impacts identification and prognosis.
Develop a synopsis of 2 assessment tools that can be employed to screen for possible cognitive difficulty.
Utilize non-verbal communication skills that can help professionals identify meanings behind gestures when working with patients who have dementia.
Evaluate how patient safety can be enhanced with strategies to redirect wandering and manage paranoia.
Investigate how the latest medications, preventative treatments, and advances in early detection could impact care of people with dementia.
Analyze end of life issues and elder abuse and correlate how the ethics of dying impact the clinician, client, and their family.

Outline

Manifestations and Prognosis for Each Type of Dementia

Cognitive decline vs. normal aging
Mild Neuro-Cognitive Disorder
Manifestations and prognosis for:
- Alzheimer’s
- Vascular Dementia
- Lewy Body Dementia
- Frontotemporal Dementia
- Parkinson’s
Stages of dementia
Psuedo-dementias and reversible conditions

Cognitive Assessment Tools and Advances in Early-Detection

MOCA and SLUMS
- Step-by-step utilization
- What they tell you and what they don’t
Brain imaging
Research on biomarkers
Genetic risk profiling
When to refer for a formal neuropsychological assessment

Behavioral Interventions Toolbox: Causes and Solutions to Challenging Behaviors

Identifying triggers for challenging behaviors
Assess for pain in dementia patients
What do for sundowning?
Techniques to minimize combativeness and aggressive behaviors
Strategies to redirect wandering
Paranoia – causes and management
Effective responses to hallucinations and delusions
Strategies to reduce repetitive behaviors
How to improve personal care and activities of daily living

Communication Strategies to Improve Care

Successful non-verbal communication – find meaning behind gestures
Best practices to avoid arguments
Questions to ask, and how to ask them
Innovative communication tools

Psychopharmacology and Nutrition: The Latest Medications and Preventative Treatments

Approved medications for behavioral and cognitive symptoms
Nutritive interventions for Alzheimer’s prevention
Disease modifying medication

Ethical Issues Related to Dementia

End of life issues
Reporting abuse (physical, sexual, financial)
Multicultural considerations
Limitations, risks, and areas of further research

Target Audience

Social Workers
Counselors
Psychologists
Psychotherapists
Psychiatrists
Case Managers
Marriage & Family Therapists
Nursing Home Administrator
Speech-Language Pathologists
Occupational Therapists
Occupational Therapy Assistants
Physicians
Physical Therapists
Physical Therapist Assistants
Nurses
Nurse Practitioners
Licensed Practical Nurses
Certified Nurses Assistants
Homecare Workers
Other Rehab, Medical and Mental Health Professionals