Ability, Ageing and Dementia

Self-Paced Course Overview

When a family member is diagnosed with a form of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, it’s likely that the losses have already begun some time before. Stretching ahead of family members and the person themselves is an uncertain future littered with loss and grief that both comes and goes and comes and stays.

This online short course will take participants through an exploration of the many facets of grief experienced by those affected by decrease in abilities, an increase in age and/or dementia. We will consider the different needs of both the families/carers and the person themselves. Strategies will be offered to help people who support these families to engage in an active grieving process that acknowledges the losses experienced and the life of their loved one.

Learning Outcomes

Following this self-paced course, participants are able to:

• Understand the varied losses associated with a decrease in abilities and increases in ageing and/or dementia.

• Apply grief and loss theory to implement support for family members affected by disability, ageing and/or dementia

• Analyse strategies that allow active engagement with the grief experienced by individuals with decreasing abilities, increased ageing and/or dementia.

• Evaluate some simple communication tools to be able to work directly with individuals who are living with dementia and acknowledge their grief.