Dementia Competencies and How to Choose Good Education

An overview of the Competency Guide for Dementia Care: Direct Care Worker Workforce Development

With the increasing number of individuals living with dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, there is an urgent need for a competent and committed direct care workforce that can deliver quality and comprehensive person-centered care.

It is crucial to improve the education and training, and develop the necessary organizational supports for direct care workers (DCWs) and everyone that is interacting with people with dementia in order to transform the current workforce into one that is dementia-capable and culturally competent.

However, not all dementia education is created equally!

This webinar will present an overview of the Competency Guide for Dementia Care: Direct Care Worker Workforce Development. The guide was created as part of the Georgia Alzheimer’s & Related Dementias (GARD) State Plan Collaborative, and authored by The Direct Care Worker Competencies subcommittee of the GARD Workforce Development work group.

The aim of the guide is to provide information and support to help employers of direct care workers choose dementia care training that is high-quality, competency-based, person-centered, and infused with active learning. It also emphasizes the support that is required from leadership and the workplace in order to improve the application of knowledge to practice.

Speakers:
Dr. Jennifer Craft-Morgan & Kim McRae

Download Handout  (Includes webinar slides and GARD Competency Guide)