Associate Degree in Dementia Care
In this course you learn how to improve the quality of life for people with dementia. You learn different ways of providing care and responding to challenging situations to help build your confidence, knowledge and skills. You learn to foster a commitment to lifelong learning, critical reflective thinking and professional growth with the possibility of leading you to pathways of further education.
Outcomes
To support and prepare you for this course, training in tertiary education skills are provided. You learn about the concepts of normal ageing, dementia and associated behaviours and techniques and strategies for dealing with these. By learning how to adapt your approach to care, depending on the living environment of people with dementia and those in the final stages of life, you can further develop your communication skills and appreciation of the importance of evidence-based care in the health system. Through face-to-face and distance learning, you develop your understanding and skills in dementia care in a number of ways, for example, scenarios, case studies, role playing, sharing your own experiences and teamwork. As well, you enhance your problem-solving skills in expected and unexpected situations.
Skills
Tertiary education will be crucial in advancing the provision of quality care for people with dementia as it provides an opportunity to disseminate evidence-based knowledge that will inform practice. On attaining the Associate Degree in Dementia Care, you will be able to:
- Demonstrate and apply knowledge of the process of normal ageing, dementia and associated behaviours and evidence-based practice in various dementia care contexts
- Analyse and interpret different situations (e.g. through scenarios, case studies, roleplays, etc.) to determine strategies that can improve the quality of life for people with dementia
- Communicate in different ways in academic and healthcare settings
- Demonstrate social responsibility by caring sensitively and respectfully for people living with dementia