Sign up to our free Dementia Course

Dementia Care: Staying Connected and Living Well

Starting on 6th November 2017, our hugely popular, free Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) Dementia Care: staying connected and living well will run for three weeks. The course focusses on what we need to do to improve communication and maintain meaningful connections.  Sign up to the course to hear from our academics here at Newcastle University, along with practitioners in dementia care, and carers of people living with dementia who share their knowledge and expertise on this important area of dementia care.  The course was designed with the support of our members of the North East Dementia Alliance, such as Sunderland Carers and Youth Focus North East, whose insights really helped to shape the content and structure. We’re also really grateful to Beamish Museum, which provided us with a fabulous location for some of our filming!

So what to expect?  We begin our course with illustrated descriptions of what happens to the brain and the body as dementia progresses. We describe how this deterioration in brain tissue leads to the various symptoms of dementia. Newcastle University is globally recognised for its research into Dementia with Lewy bodies, so the course also looks at the symptoms of this condition in more detail. We then present some of the key elements of good communication, and encourage learners to share their experiences of what works for them. We explore how to ‘enter the world’ of someone living with dementia; respond to behaviours we find challenging; discuss the emotional impact of caring and the effects of carer stress; and identify some innovations that might support improved communication, now and in the future.

About FutureLearn Mass Open Online Courses

FutureLearn online courses are designed to be flexible, so learners can complete the course at their own pace. Each week is made up of short tasks that learners can complete at a time (and pace) that best suits them. In general, each step should take 5-10 minutes, and will be presented in a range of formats, such as video, article, discussion or quiz.

Sign up!

The course will take place over 3 consecutive weeks from 6th November 2017. We anticipate learners will spend approximately 2 hours each week on the course, and will include time to participate in discussions with learners and experts, and pursue options for deeper study. Anyone with an interest in the subjects covered is welcome to join this free online course, now open to sign up…https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/dementia-care. Follow the conversation on Twitter at: #FLdementiamatters