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Continuing Education
Coming Soon
CE Dementia Care Alzheimers
Course teaches competency in dementia staging, person‑centered care, behavioral symptom management, non‑pharmacological interventions, and end‑of‑life support across diverse care settings, enabling professionals to deliver evidence‑based, compassionate care.
Who Should Take This
Nurses, social workers, activity coordinators, direct‑care staff, and administrators working in memory‑care facilities or home‑based programs benefit from this training. It is designed for early‑career or mid‑level professionals seeking to deepen their competence in staging, person‑centered interventions, behavioral management, and end‑of‑life planning.
What's Included in AccelaStudy® AI
Adaptive Knowledge Graph
Practice Questions
Lesson Modules
Console Simulator Labs
Exam Tips & Strategy
20 Activity Formats
Course Outline
64 learning goals
1
Stages of Dementia
2 topics
GDS and FAST staging
- Recognize the seven stages of the Global Deterioration Scale from no cognitive decline through very severe cognitive decline.
- Describe the Functional Assessment Staging Tool and its sub-stages that track functional decline from normal aging through terminal stage dementia.
- Explain how GDS and FAST staging inform care planning decisions including activity programming, safety interventions, and family counseling.
- Analyze resident assessment data to determine the appropriate GDS/FAST stage and identify the care needs specific to that stage.
Dementia types and differential features
- Identify the major types of dementia including Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, and frontotemporal dementia.
- Describe the distinguishing clinical features and progression patterns of each major dementia type.
- Explain how mixed dementia presentations complicate diagnosis and care planning and describe the implications for treatment approaches.
- Analyze cognitive assessment results and behavioral observations to differentiate between dementia types and delirium in care settings.
2
Person-Centered Dementia Care
1 topic
Person-centered philosophy
- Recognize the core principles of person-centered dementia care as defined by Tom Kitwood including personhood, relationships, and the enriched model of dementia.
- Describe the elements of knowing the person including life history, preferences, routines, cultural background, and meaningful relationships.
- Explain how to develop individualized care plans that reflect each resident's identity, remaining abilities, and preferences rather than focusing solely on deficits.
- Describe the Dementia Care Mapping tool and its use in evaluating the quality of person-centered care delivery in institutional settings.
- Analyze care interactions to identify task-focused versus person-centered approaches and recommend changes to improve the quality of engagement.
- Synthesize a person-centered care program for a dementia care unit incorporating life story work, meaningful activities, and staff training strategies.
3
Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms
1 topic
BPSD assessment and management
- Recognize the common behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia including agitation, aggression, wandering, sundowning, psychosis, and depression.
- Describe the ABC model for behavioral assessment: Antecedent, Behavior, Consequence and its application to identifying triggers for BPSD.
- Explain the unmet needs model and how physical discomfort, environmental factors, and psychosocial needs drive behavioral expressions in dementia.
- Describe the graduated approach to BPSD management starting with nonpharmacological interventions before considering pharmacological options.
- Explain the risks associated with antipsychotic medication use in dementia including FDA black box warnings, OBRA regulations, and gradual dose reduction requirements.
- Analyze behavioral data to identify patterns, triggers, and effective interventions and develop an individualized behavior management plan.
- Synthesize an individualized behavioral intervention plan integrating ABC assessment data, non-pharmacological strategies, environmental modifications, and staff training for a resident with complex BPSD.
4
Non-Pharmacological Interventions
1 topic
Evidence-based approaches
- Identify the categories of non-pharmacological interventions for dementia including sensory, social, cognitive, physical, and environmental approaches.
- Describe music therapy and its evidence base for reducing agitation, improving mood, and enhancing social engagement in persons with dementia.
- Explain the use of reminiscence therapy, Montessori-based activities, and structured activity programs to support cognitive engagement and reduce BPSD.
- Describe the role of physical exercise programs, light therapy, and aromatherapy in managing behavioral symptoms and improving sleep quality.
- Explain Snoezelen multisensory environments and their use in providing calming sensory stimulation for residents with moderate to severe dementia.
- Analyze the appropriateness and effectiveness of different non-pharmacological interventions based on dementia stage, behavioral presentation, and resident preferences.
5
Caregiver Support
1 topic
Family caregiver education and support
- Recognize the stages of caregiver grief and the emotional impact of dementia caregiving including anticipatory grief, role reversal, and caregiver guilt.
- Describe the educational needs of family caregivers including disease progression, communication strategies, safety planning, and self-care practices.
- Explain caregiver support resources including support groups, respite care, adult day programs, and community-based services.
- Describe the process of facilitating family care conferences to discuss disease progression, goals of care, and transition planning.
- Analyze caregiver stress indicators to identify families at risk for burnout and develop targeted intervention plans including respite and counseling referrals.
6
Wandering Management
1 topic
Safety and freedom of movement
- Recognize the types of wandering behavior including exit-seeking, pacing, shadowing, and purposeful walking and their underlying motivations.
- Describe environmental design strategies for safe wandering including secure outdoor spaces, wandering paths, camouflaged exits, and wayfinding cues.
- Explain electronic monitoring technologies for wandering management including door alarms, GPS tracking, wander guard systems, and their ethical considerations.
- Describe the regulatory requirements for elopement prevention and response including risk assessment, care planning, and incident reporting procedures.
- Analyze a wandering-related elopement incident to identify contributing factors and recommend environmental, procedural, and staffing modifications.
- Synthesize an elopement prevention program that balances resident safety with freedom of movement, dignity, and the least restrictive environment principle.
7
End-of-Life Dementia Care
1 topic
Palliative and hospice care
- Recognize the indicators of end-stage dementia including FAST stage 7 criteria, feeding difficulties, recurrent infections, and functional decline.
- Describe the goals and principles of palliative care for advanced dementia including comfort-focused care, symptom management, and family support.
- Explain the decision-making challenges in end-stage dementia including tube feeding versus comfort feeding, hospitalization, and antibiotic use.
- Describe hospice eligibility criteria for dementia and the process of enrolling nursing home residents in Medicare hospice benefit.
- Analyze an advanced dementia case to evaluate appropriateness of current interventions and recommend a care plan transition toward comfort-focused goals.
8
Validation Therapy and Communication
1 topic
Communication approaches
- Recognize the principles of validation therapy as developed by Naomi Feil including empathy, acceptance, and entering the person's reality.
- Describe the verbal and nonverbal communication techniques used in validation therapy for each phase of dementia resolution.
- Explain effective communication strategies for persons with dementia including simple language, visual cues, calm tone, and allowing adequate response time.
- Describe the Habilitation Therapy approach focusing on positive emotions, meaningful activity, and communication adapted to remaining functional abilities.
- Analyze a caregiver-resident interaction to identify communication barriers and recommend validation or habilitation techniques to improve engagement.
9
Dementia-Friendly Environment
1 topic
Environmental design
- Identify the principles of dementia-friendly environmental design including wayfinding, lighting, color contrast, noise reduction, and homelike atmosphere.
- Describe the design features of a specialized dementia care unit including small-scale living, visual access to common areas, and therapeutic gardens.
- Explain how environmental modifications can reduce BPSD including reducing overstimulation, improving lighting, and creating meaningful activity spaces.
- Analyze a dementia care environment to identify design deficiencies that may contribute to resident distress and recommend evidence-based modifications.
- Synthesize a dementia-friendly environment improvement plan for an existing care facility addressing wayfinding, lighting, safety, and therapeutic spaces within budget constraints.
10
Staff Training and Competency
1 topic
Dementia care workforce development
- Recognize the core competencies required for direct care staff working with persons with dementia including communication, behavior management, and person-centered approaches.
- Describe effective training methods for dementia care staff including experiential learning, simulation, and ongoing coaching and mentoring.
- Explain the impact of staff attitudes, burnout, and turnover on dementia care quality and describe retention strategies for dementia care workers.
- Synthesize a comprehensive dementia care training curriculum for direct care staff covering disease knowledge, communication, behavioral interventions, and self-care.
11
Legal and Ethical Issues
1 topic
Capacity and decision-making
- Identify the legal concepts relevant to dementia care including decision-making capacity, guardianship, conservatorship, and power of attorney.
- Describe the process of assessing decision-making capacity in persons with dementia and the distinction between capacity and competency.
- Explain the ethical principles governing surrogate decision-making including substituted judgment, best interest standard, and advance directive interpretation.
- Analyze an ethical dilemma involving a person with dementia whose expressed wishes conflict with their advance directive and the surrogate decision-maker's preferences.
12
Nutrition and Eating Challenges
1 topic
Mealtime support
- Recognize the progressive eating difficulties in dementia including apraxia of eating, swallowing dysfunction, food refusal, and weight loss patterns.
- Describe mealtime interventions that support independence and adequate nutrition including adaptive equipment, environmental modifications, and cueing techniques.
- Explain the evidence regarding hand feeding versus tube feeding in advanced dementia and the clinical and ethical rationale for comfort feeding approaches.
Scope
Included Topics
- GDS and FAST staging systems for dementia progression and their implications for care planning.
- Dementia types (Alzheimer's, vascular, Lewy body, frontotemporal), differential features, and mixed presentations.
- Person-centered dementia care principles, life history work, Dementia Care Mapping, and individualized care planning.
- BPSD assessment using ABC model, unmet needs model, graduated management approach, and antipsychotic medication risks.
- Non-pharmacological interventions including music therapy, reminiscence, Montessori activities, exercise, Snoezelen, and aromatherapy.
- Family caregiver support including education, grief stages, support groups, respite care, and family care conferences.
- Wandering management including types, environmental design, electronic monitoring, elopement prevention, and ethical considerations.
- End-of-life dementia care including palliative principles, feeding decisions, hospice eligibility, and comfort-focused care transitions.
- Validation therapy, habilitation therapy, and effective communication strategies adapted to dementia stages.
- Dementia-friendly environmental design including wayfinding, lighting, color contrast, therapeutic gardens, and noise reduction.
- Dementia care staff training, core competencies, experiential learning, and workforce retention strategies.
- Legal and ethical issues including decision-making capacity, guardianship, advance directives, and surrogate decision-making.
Not Covered
- Detailed pharmacology of dementia medications beyond practitioner-level awareness of treatment options and antipsychotic risks.
- Advanced neuroimaging or biomarker research for dementia diagnosis beyond clinical screening understanding.
- Genetic counseling or genetic testing for familial dementia syndromes.
- Acute hospital management of dementia patients beyond transition and care coordination planning.
- Research methodology for dementia clinical trials beyond evidence-based practice application.
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