Training Programs

Advanced Topics in Alzheimer’s Care for Direct-Care Staff

Previously offered exclusively as a train-the-trainer program, this 12-hour course has been divided into four, three-hour sessions so that direct-care staff of residential care facilities and community-based organizations may attend. Case studies, games, role playing, and group exercises bring practical issues alive for direct-care staff. Nurses, social workers, case managers, nursing assistants, dietary workers, activity staff, and others involved in direct care will benefit from participation. All topics meet criteria for initial and annual training requirements by the State of Illinois for dementia Special Care Units and assisted living facilities.

The Best Friends™ Approach to Dementia Care for Direct-Care Staff

Previously offered exclusively as a train-the-trainer program, this 12-hour course has been divided into four, three-hour session that staff of residential care facilities and community-based organizations may attend. Based on the pioneering work of Virginia Bell and David Troxel that uses the principles of friendship in a caregiving relationship, these interactive sessions bring practical issues alive. Nurses, social workers, case managers, nursing assistants, dietary workers, activity staff, and others involved in direct care will benefit from participation. All topics meet criteria for initial and annual training requirements by the State of Illinois for dementia Special Care Units and assisted living facilities.

Dementia Care 101 for Direct Care Staff

This half-day seminar, originally developed for staff of skilled nursing and assisted living facilities to meet the initial training requirements mandated by the State of Illinois, covers the basics of caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia. It is intended for any professional who provides care in community-based or residential care settings. Participants receive information, techniques, and tools on four topics: 1) Understanding dementia, 2) Communication skills, 3) Creative responses to challenging behaviors, and 4) Activity-based care. Anyone interested in a person-centered approach to dementia care will benefit from participation.