Online Education & Training for PSWs With the Alzheimer Society of Ontario

Dementia Care Training for PSWs by the Alzheimer Society of Ontario

Alzheimer’s and people living with Dementia are on the rise, especially in Canada.

According to a report published by the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada in 2016, an estimated 564,000 Canadians are living with Dementia, and this number will rise to 937, 000 by 2031!

Of this, 39% are Ontario residents!

Alzheimer’s Society of Ontario has been doing commendable work to keep pace with the growing number of people with Dementia.

Through their efforts, the Alzheimer’s Society of Ontario was instrumental in persuading the provincial government to allocate additional funding.

As a result, in 2017, the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care made a significant investment towards the implementation of a dementia strategy in Ontario.

These funds are helping support people with dementia and those who care for them, such as you the Personal Support Workers.

As a result, Alzheimer’s Society has created amazing training and education opportunities through ALZeducate.

What is ALZeducate?

ALZeducate is an online portal designed to offer training and educational programs for Personal Support Workers and others alike who care for people with memory loss, Alzheimer’s, or dementia.

This is a goldmine of resources for PSWs as the primary healthcare professionals involved in the care of people with dementia.

Education and learning are offered in three ways:

  • Online courses
  • Live and pre-recorded webinars
  • Classroom workshops

You will have to register with ALZeducate to access the dashboard that houses all the learning materials.

Registration is easy.

The login page gives you the option to create a new account.

Once you have an account, you’ll be able to access all the courses.

Courses are offered under the following three categories:

Online Courses

There are four online courses offered, and all of them can be taken by Personal Support Workers.

These are all FREE and there is no cost associated with any of these four online courses.

CourseDescription
Dementia 101Basics
Dementia 102Communication
Dementia 103Behaviour
Finding Your WayLiving Safely in the
Community

Dementia 101: Basics

In this online course, you’ll learn the basics of dementia.

Cost: Free

Duration: 1 hour

Method of delivery: Online

By the time you’ve completed the course, you’ll have a better understanding of the following:

  • The difference between aging and dementia.
  • What is dementia and the symptoms associated with it?
  • The signs of dementia that show one could be starting to have dementia (or some other form of dementia).
  • What is person-centered care and how you as the primary caregiver (the PSW) can ensure the person being cared for remains the primary focus?
  • What support is available from the Alzheimer’s Society of Toronto?

Dementia 102: Communication

This online course teaches you ways and strategies to communicate effectively with a person with dementia.

Cost: Free

Duration: 1 hour

Method of delivery: Online

Upon completion of this course you’ll have a better understanding of the following:

  • A different approach to communicate with a person with dementia.
  • The changes in understanding and following instructions.
  • How to communicate effectively with a person with dementia?
  • Strategies to guide your communication.
  • The importance of being patient when communicating with a person with dementia.

Dementia 103: Behaviour

This course is designed to teach you the effective ways of responding to the changed behaviors of people with dementia.

Cost: Free

Duration: 1 hour

Method of delivery: Online

You’ll also learn the causes of these type of behaviors. Here’s a breakdown of what you’ll learn from this course:

  • How dementia affects the brain and the neurological changes that follow.
  • Why a person with dementia depicts certain behavior and how to find out the factors that may cause such behavior?
  • Strategies to help you respond to the behaviors caused by dementia?

Finding Your Way: Living Safely in the Community

This is a unique course designed to help you learn more about dementia and how to manage people with dementia in the community.

This course can enhance your learning, especially if you’re a Personal Support Worker working in the community.

Cost: Free

Duration: 1 hour

Method of delivery: Online

This course is divided into four modules:

  • Understanding dementia and its associated risks.
  • Communicating with a person with dementia.
  • Helping people with dementia live safely in the community.
  • Interacting with a person with dementia who may be lost.

Healthcare Professional Training

CourseDescription
U-First OnlineDementia
Caring
Skills
Online Dementia
Care Training
Program
Specialized
Dementia
Care Training

U-First Online Dementia Training

This is a 3-week certificate course designed to enhance your skills in caring for people with dementia.  

Formal registration is required.

Cost: $75

Duration: 3 weeks

Method of delivery: Online

A certificate is issued upon the successful completion of this course.

Online Dementia Care Training Program (ODCTP)

This is a comprehensive course for PSWs to gain the knowledge and skills required to care for clients, residents, or patients with dementia.

Formal registration is required.

Cost: $75

Duration: 6 weeks

Method of delivery: Online

Note: The ODCTP course includes the U-First certificate course. Upon successful completion of this course, you’ll, therefore, be granted two certificates:

  • U-First Dementia Training certificate, and
  • Dementia Care Training Program certificate.

Live Webinars

A webinar is a “seminar over the internet”.

The beauty of webinars lies in the fact that you do not have to travel to a certain place in order to attend.

It is delivered over the internet.

These webinars are however held on certain dates and times and you have to enroll first.

What if you can’t make it in time for the live webinar?

Not to worry!

You can come back at a later date and watch the recording of the live webinar.

These webinars are geared towards anyone taking care of someone with dementia.

As a result, they can be helpful to you, the Personal Support Worker.

The content delivered in these webinars can be applied at your workplace, especially if your work involves caring for people with dementia.  

Following are some of the webinars that PSWs can benefit from:

WebinarDescription
Brain HealthRisk factors
associated with
Alzheimer's and
Dementia
Executive
Functions
Implications of
impaired executive
functioning in
Dementia
Sexuality,
intimacy and
Dementia
Intimacy and
sexuality in
aging.
Could it be
Delirium?
Recognizing Dementia,
Delirium and
Depression in
older adults
Meaningful
activities
Activities for those
with Dementia
Celebrating
special
occassions
Strategies to plan
special events
Safety at homeStrategies for a
safer living
environment at
home
Long Distance
Caregiving
Strategies to
support a loved one
from a distance
Transitioning to
Long Term Care
Overview of issues
related to LTC
Enhancing Family
Dynamics
Strategies to build
strengths and
resilience

Executive Functions

Executive functioning refers to a higher-level executive system of cognitive skills that control other abilities and behaviors.

The organization, planning, and execution of various daily activities of our lives are all governed by the executive functions.

For example, a slice of pizza might feel tempting however it is the executive functioning of your body that reminds you of the consequences and a conflict with your goal of eating healthy.

Cost: Free

Duration: 1 hour

Method of delivery: Online

You’ll learn:

  • The concept of executive functioning in greater detail.
  • Signs and symptoms of a compromised executive system.
  • Strategies to support someone with impaired executive functioning.

Meaningful activities

This webinar is for you, especially if you work as a PSW in the community and look after clients with dementia.

You can learn many different techniques to develop and implement meaningful activities with your client.

Cost: Free

Duration: 1 hour

Method of delivery: Online

Understanding Behaviours

In this webinar, you’ll learn possible causes of certain types of behavior that are typical of anyone with dementia and also learn strategies to reduce such behaviors.

Cost: Free

Duration: 1 hour

Method of delivery: Online

As you can see, if you want to enhance your skillset of working with people with dementia, the Alzheimer’s Society of Toronto offers ample resources.

If you experience issues with registration or while enrolling in any of the courses, you can contact The Alzheimer’s Society of Toronto

Alzheimer Society of Toronto
20 Eglinton Avenue West, 16th floor
Toronto, Ontario 
M4R 1K8
Tel: 416-322-6560
Email: [email protected]

There is also a network of Alzheimer’s societies across Ontario.

You can click here to find the one that is closest to you. 

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Avlin
Avlin

Avlin is passionate about helping aspirants become better personal support workers. He is an entrepreneur and runs a clinic in Toronto.

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3 Comments

  1. This website is so helpful for this field. It really connects well the caregivers and the community in need. Thank you so much.

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