How Important Is Dementia Training in Care Homes?

Here at KYN, we believe comprehensive dementia training for all team members is imperative for providing thoughtful, empowering dementia care tailored to each individual. Providing the right kind of care for someone living with dementia is an ever-evolving journey.

As such, it’s extremely important that the care team are comprehensively trained to assist and support people with dementia as it progresses.

In this guide, we’ll talk about why it’s important for caregivers, individuals and support staff to learn about dementia. We’ll explain how dementia awareness helps caregivers, friends, and family take better care of people.  

What is Dementia?

Dementia is a progressive syndrome caused by diseases that affect the brain. It impairs cognitive functions including memory, communication skills, spatial awareness, reasoning, and judgement. While every journey with dementia is unique, common early symptoms may involve difficulty recalling conversations, disorientation in familiar places, reduced problem-solving skills, and changes in typical behaviours or personality.

There are numerous types of dementia with distinct causes and traits that require specialised management approaches:

• Alzheimer’s Disease: The most prevalent form, caused by plaques and tangles accumulating in the brain. Memory loss is a hallmark early sign.
• Vascular Dementia: Occurs when blood flow to the brain is impaired by stroke or blood vessel damage. Planning skills, judgement, and mood are often affected first.
• Lewy Body Dementia: Linked to abnormal clumps of alpha-synuclein proteins forming throughout the brain (Lewy Bodies). Early signs may include sleep disturbances, hallucinations, and mobility issues.
• Frontotemporal Dementia: Results in damage to the brain's frontal and temporal lobes, impacting behaviour, language, and personality.
• Mixed Dementia: Diagnosed when multiple types of dementia are present, such as Alzheimer’s and Vascular.

Why Learn the Different Types?

Growing knowledge about the various forms of dementia allows caregivers to better understand someone’s experiences, connect in positive ways, and provide thoughtful assistance tailored to their needs:

• It helps explain different behaviours and personality traits that emerge. What presents as confusion in Alzheimer’s may manifest as impulsivity in another form.
• It allows prediction of likely progression patterns. Lewy body dementia often involves earlier mobility impairment, for example.
• It guides exploration of communication techniques that work best for each subtype and stage.
• It assists efforts to create safe, engaging environments conducive to meaning and purpose.
• It indicates condition-specific resources and support groups that may help both caregivers and loved ones.

Recognising the Signs and Symptoms of Dementia

While each person's experience is unique, specialist training into dementia care can help carers to understand how dementia progresses. Being able to recognise early signs of progression allow the experienced team at KYN to proactively alter and develop care plans for each resident, ensuring the best possible care for everyone staying in one of KYN's care homes. Some of the developing symptoms that we keep a look out for include:

Memory Loss

Early on, difficulty recalling recent conversations, events, names, or key dates may signal dementia. Relying more on reminder notes is common. We help residents use memory aids like calendars.

Communication Challenges

A person living with dementia may struggle to find the right words, follow along during conversations, or revert to speaking mostly in a native language. We encourage residents to communicate in their preferred language.

Confusion and Disorientation

Individuals may become unsure of the day, date, season, or current location - even in familiar places. Problem-solving abilities also decline. We use gentle redirection and visual cues to reorient residents if disoriented.

Impaired Judgement

Dementia can make assessing risks, weighing options, and sound decision-making more challenging across all aspects of life. We offer support and guidance to help individuals living with dementia and their loved ones make informed decisions about care needs, living arrangements, and other complex choices.

Difficulty with Familiar Tasks

Following multi-step routines for cooking, household chores, or self-care may pose challenges. We break activities into manageable steps and provide guidance.

Personality and Behavior Changes

Irritability, apathy, compulsiveness, or impulsivity may emerge as disinhibition increases. Agitation often worsens in late afternoon or evening. We use creative engagement and music therapy to reduce distress.

Loss of Motivation

Initiative for self-care, socialising, or favourite hobbies may lessen. Reassurance and creative prompts can encourage engagement. Discovering new enjoyable activities together is our goal.

Misplacing Items

Frequently misplacing objects around one's home is common. We help residents stay organised and place important items in memorable spots.

Visual Perception Changes

Some individuals have difficulty recognising familiar faces or objects. We use gentle reminders and orientation cues to provide reassurance.

Motor Difficulties

Symptoms like shakiness, unsteady walking, reduced dexterity, or muscle rigidity may emerge. We promote mobility and independence while also ensuring safety.  

Why is Dementia Training So Important?

With over 900,000 people in the UK living with dementia, the need for proper training continues growing as prevalence rises. At KYN, we regularly pursue dementia training because it provides manifold benefits for our staff, residents, and the broader community. Comprehensive courses build our expertise in providing thoughtful, individualised care.  

We gain insights into the lived experiences of dementia that allow us to empathise and connect meaningfully. Training also equips us with vital skills for fostering engagement, addressing, and designing nurturing environments.

What’s more, proper education helps replace stereotypes with meaningful facts, allowing us to become advocates working to erase stigma. We can empower families with knowledge to understand their loved one's journey and make informed care decisions.

Dementia training enables us to cultivate a community of inclusion, compassion, and respect. It fuels our ongoing development as specialists dedicated to enriching quality of life for all impacted by dementia. We consider it a privilege to participate in creating positive societal change around perceptions and policies related to dementia.  

What are the Key Topics Covered in Dementia Training?

At KYN, we pursue multifaceted education to enrich our compassionate, individualised care. Training focuses on:

• Dementia Knowledge - In-depth information on types, diagnosis, progression patterns, and research helps us understand each resident's experiences.
• Promoting Wellbeing - We learn creative engagement approaches to nurture purpose and dignity through tailored activities, life story work, and inclusive community building.
• Caregiver Development - Training builds specialised care skills while emphasising self-care to avoid fatigue and burnout.
• Person-Centred Care - We tailor all care practices to residents' unique life experiences, personality, strengths and preferences. Their past informs their present.
• Communication - Stage-specific strategies enhance our interactions and ability to overcome communication barriers as abilities change.
• Embracing Diversity - Instilling competencies to respect each resident's cultural background, values and identity throughout care.
• Supporting Families - We develop approaches to compassionately support diverse families through the journey together.

Who Can Benefit From Dementia Training?

Many groups beyond caregivers gain from pursuing dementia training:

• Healthcare Professionals - Builds expertise in diagnosis, treatment, counselling and care coordination.
• Family Care Partners - Prepares them for each phase of the journey as care needs evolve.
• Community Volunteers - Develops understanding and skills to sensitively interact.
• Social Workers - Enables sensitive guidance to programs and resources.
• Professionals in Any Field - Raises awareness to positively impact colleagues, clients and customers.
• Educators - Provides insights to reduce stigma and nurture inclusion.
• Students - Equips them to support family members and pursue related careers.

For Professional Dementia Care in London, Choose KYN’s Care Homes

At KYN, we’re proud to be on the cutting-edge of dementia care in London. Our specialist team has undergone dementia care training, and continues to develop their skills and understanding as new research becomes available.

We are dedicated to the care of all our residents who may be struggling with dementia, either in its infancy or more advanced forms. If you’re looking for professional dementia care in a beautiful, relaxing setting in the heart of London, don’t hesitate to get in touch with KYN today. To request a KYN brochure, enquire today. Fill in our online form, call us on +44 (0) 20 3535 1923 or email enquiries@kyn.co.uk.