Raising the bar on dementia training in aged care
With over 400,000 Australians living with dementia – and this figure forecast to grow significantly – the demand for aged care staff to be trained in dementia care is only increasing.
Yet, there are no mandatory national standards on dementia training for people with a Certificate III and IV.
But there are signs that the tide is turning.
The Federal Government is set to launch the National Dementia Education and Training Standards Framework in July this year.
Designed by Dementia Training Australia (DTA) – a Government-funded consortium of five universities and Dementia Australia which provided education and training for people living with dementia – the framework is designed to offer a national benchmark for the skills and knowledge needed to provide quality dementia care and support and covers 14 key areas of learning.
Can operators get on the front foot now?
A new online tool is seeking to make it simpler for staff and providers to find a training option that suits their needs and budget.
Learning Pathways – also developed by DTA – enables users to search over 130 courses, from beginners to advanced, to tailor a bespoke training program.
“If you’re a support worker, it will recommend to you specific courses that are designed to make sure that you have the minimum set of skills and knowledge that we believe you need to be confident in doing your role and deliver and support good care for someone living in dementia,” Dr. Isabelle Meyer, the Executive Director of Dementia Training Australia, said.
For example, a personal carer might be recommended options to help them to manage personal care and support, assist with nutrition and identify escalating behaviours.
The courses are tiered according to the user’s role, from personal carers, cooks and cleaners up to senior executives and board members.
Many of the courses listed are also free of charge as the DTA is funded to deliver these training opportunities.
The hope is that the tool could assist providers to build the learning culture in their organisation as well as encourage career pathways for staff who can return and progress through the tiers and improve their skills and knowledge.
“Continuous improvement should be our goal,” said Isabelle.
“We have a generation of people that we will need to provide dignity, engagement and care for, so focusing on training people to be able to provide that care would be amazing.”
