Challenge Demcare – an eLearning course developed with DSDC Wales

For details of how to access this e-learning course (free of charge) click here

This eLearning course is part of ‘Challenge Demcare’  a Department of Health NIHR Programme award to Humber NHS Foundation Trust. It is suitable for a wide range of staff working in dementia care, including care homes.

The course was developed by a team including DSDC Wales Director, Bob Woods.

The complete team:

  • From Hull :  Professor Esme Moniz-Cook  - Clinical Psychologist,  Professor Peter Campion – GP,  Dr Ivana Markova - Liaison / NeuroPsychiatrist, Dr Andrea Hilton – Pharmacist.
  • From Bangor : Professors Bob Woods and Rob Jones - Clinical Psychologists.
  • From BUPA :  Professor Graham Stokes - Clinical Psychologist.
  • From Newcastle : Professor Ian James - Clinical Psychologist. 

Dementia is associated with behaviour that families and staff find difficult to understand and cope with. This can be described as `behaviours that challenge`.

The way others perceive and manage the changes in day-to-day behaviour in dementia can influence the person and their families or the care staffs quality of life.  'Behaviours that challenge’ are often expressions of distress. Professional staff often manage this distress with drugs which are known to have harmful side effects and often do not work. Guidelines suggest that psychological treatments should be tried as the first-line strategy and that drugs should be used as an adjunct when appropriate.

A Cochrane review of functional analysis for the management of challenging behaviour in dementia highlighted a gap in the knowledge base of this important approach to supporting people with dementia and their carers.

This eLearning course offers excellent evidence based training material for staff and managers who wish to learn to improve the care provided to people with dementia who they find difficult to understand and care for.