Upskilling the aged care workforce in dementia care

A project to upskill aged care workers caring for people with dementia has commenced in the Redcliffe Peninsula area.

Enhance dementia care in residential aged care facilities (RACF) in Redcliffe Peninsula is one of the six projects currently being implemented by Brisbane North PHN as part of the four year Integrated Model of Dementia Care Program.

Australia’s Aged Care Workforce Strategy states that upskilling the aged care workforce is a priority to ensure the best possible care for older Australians.

The Enhance dementia care project has engaged Dementia Training Australia to deliver the training that includes face-to-face programs, online learning, access to resources and tools.

The training also includes mentoring and support on pain, responsive behaviours, medication management and environmental design.

Since the project commenced, four workshops have been delivered to staff from the 14 participating residential aged care facilities. Within the workshops, participants are provided with an opportunity to better understand dementia and explore the difficulties people living with dementia can experience in communication.

Workshops on ‘Applying a problem solving approach to behaviours’ will be delivered in July and August 2019.

For more information about the training contact Sandra Jeavons via s.jeavons@qut.edu.au or to participate in the project, contact Sharon Gavioli via agedcareprojects@brisbanenorthphn.org.au.