Dementia & Alzheimer's Training for Caregivers

Whether you have worked in healthcare for years or need caregiver support for a relative, it's essential to have a basis of understanding for your care. Consider the benefits of Caregiverlist's training course:

• Convenient: Our Alzheimer's training for caregivers is delivered in a 100% online format, allowing you to complete other work, family, and care responsibilities while learning. There's no commute time, and you can continue your daily life while gaining knowledge that will assist you at your job or in caring for your loved one.
• Practical information: Caregiverlist's course can benefit you by alerting you to common symptoms of Alzheimer's and dementia. The course helps you understand how the latest research on these conditions applies to real-life caregiving scenarios and gives you a plan of action when unsure what to do. 
• Concise: Our eight-hour, first-year, and renewal training courses give you the foundation and the continuing education needed to function confidently as a professional or personal caregiver. Our two-hour Alzheimer's and dementia caregiving course focuses more closely on the issues you'll face when caring for someone with these diagnoses.

How to Get an Alzheimer's and Dementia Caregiver Certification

Getting certified and completing your Alzheimer's training course, or Alzheimer's 1 and 2 training online, is easy. Simply choose your state to determine what's required of you and get started.

Caregiverlist provides certification in First Year Training, Renewal Training, Sexual Harassment Prevention, and Alzheimer's and Dementia care training. Determine which most closely suits your goals, and get started today! 

Whether you are new to caregiving or need a professional certification, Caregiverlist makes the enrollment and learning process easy for everyone. We provide the necessary hours to keep your training current and update you with new techniques and research as you complete additional hours. All of our courses are delivered 100% online.

Which States Require Alzheimer’s and Dementia Caregiver Training?

If you are a professional caregiver or you plan to become one, you may not be aware that more than 25 states now recommend eight hours per year of non-medical caregiver training. ADRD training is often considered additional, and you may have to request or seek it out if your employer does not mandate it. More states are requiring specific training when caring for those with memory loss, such as the recently passed Illinois Alzheimer's training for anyone providing care for seniors with memory loss, including nurses. Florida's 2-hour Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementia training has been the most detailed training as one of the first state's to mandate specific memory loss training annually for caregivers. And Kentucky has been the most recent state to require training for memory loss, mirroring the Illinois memory loss training requirements. These are the states that require this training for caregivers:

• Illinois (6 hours)
• Kentucky (6 hours)
• Florida (2 hours)

Do I Have to Renew My Certification?

Yes. Keep in mind that there is a practical purpose to renewing your Alzheimer's training for caregivers certification, as refreshing your knowledge every year allows you to keep up with any changes in the caregiving field. The initial certification and renewal timeline for your state may look like this:

• Complete your initial eight-hour basic training course that meets the standards of the American Association of Caregivers.
• Complete any additional certifications, such as Alzheimer's and Dementia Training.
• Complete your yearly eight-hour renewal training every year after this if you wish to remain certified and up-to-date.

On a professional level, the annual renewal of your training credentials also signifies to your employer that your skills are current. Therefore, a major benefit to online caregiver training is that you can complete the renewal process when it suits your schedule.

The Importance of Certification for Alzheimer’s and Dementia

Alzheimer's disease does not yet have a cure, and many different types of dementia cause wide-ranging symptoms. Caregivers can benefit from more specialized training beyond companionship and basic nursing care to help their patients with Alzheimer's and dementia face the many challenges in their daily lives, including memory issues and mood changes.

Challenges of Taking Care of Someone With Alzheimer’s or Dementia

Alzheimer's and dementia are two distinct diagnoses. Alzheimer's is a type of dementia, but not all dementia is Alzheimer's-related. If you live with a person diagnosed with one of these conditions, you may be confused about the differences and similarities in symptoms.

Caregivers may notice the following areas of difficulty when living with or caring for their family member, friend, or patient with Alzheimer's or dementia:

• Communication difficulties: The Alzheimer's Association suggests using patience when communicating with someone with dementia. People affected by dementia experience early, middle, and late-stage communication problems. In the early stages, this person may forget a word or two or struggle to articulate a thought. In the late stages, this person may only speak their native language, feel confused when not offered a "yes or no" question, or communicate solely with gestures.
• Behavioral changes: Behavior and personality changes in patients with dementia can be very concerning. A calm person can become very agitated or aggressive, and a friendly person can begin to suspect the worst of others. Alzheimer's training for caregivers can help you understand these changes.
• Safety concerns: Those with Alzheimer's or dementia frequently wander, forget where they are or what they are doing, and become flustered when they realize they are lost. If you are a caregiver for someone with these conditions, it's a good idea to familiarize yourself with these common concerns.

Benefits of Specialized Training and Skills

Caring for an older person requires a specific skill set, and people living with dementia need to be able to rely on those who understand their symptoms. Often, people with dementia cannot describe their feelings or separate their disease state from their daily lives. It's crucial for a caregiver to have the knowledge and training before they are responsible for people with these diagnoses.

Specialized caregiver training helps you understand how to care for someone with symptoms specific to Alzheimer's disease and dementia. If you plan to create a career out of caregiving, you can use specialized training to gain confidence in your caregiving skills, advance your career, and increase your resume's marketability.

What’s the Difference Between Alzheimer’s and Dementia?

You may wonder what the difference is between Alzheimer's and dementia, especially if you plan to be a caregiver for someone who, at this time, has an unclear diagnosis. Though these terms are often used interchangeably, dementia is a general term that indicates changes in mood, behavior, communication, and cognition. There are many types of dementia related to Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, and other brain-based disorders.

Alzheimer's, in contrast, is a specific disease that features a certain type of dementia. In the progression of Alzheimer's, you may notice that the affected person first experiences trouble with memory and thinking. Later on, they become confused, experience behavior and mood changes, and further struggle with cognition. Other types of dementia have different progressions, symptoms, and features. 

Enrolling in Caregiverlist's specialized Alzheimer's and Dementia Training course can assist you in understanding the nuances of these different disorders and how to best care for those experiencing these symptoms.

How Can Specialized Training in Dementia and Alzheimer’s Care Benefit My Career as a Caregiver?

If you have the desire to function as a caregiver for a loved one, it’s worth your while to pursue dementia and Alzheimer’s training for caregivers. If you wish to do this type of work in a professional environment, your state may require that you become certified. After gaining certification, you may be able to access a higher pay rate and a wider array of job opportunities. Take advantage of the wealth of information we offer and browse Caregiverlist's offerings to determine which training package fits you.