Dementia By Day School

"Going into this new training course, I thought, 'Oh no, another drawn-out, redundant course!' However, what I found with Dementia By Day School was a refreshing and most enlightening experience! Rachael's nuggets of wisdom, transparency and knowledge has really brought a new light on working with residents in Memory Care. It was fun and easy. But, most importantly, her training style kept me engaged! I highly recommend her and her course!"

Stacey Wilson-David, Business Office Manager at Claiborne Senior Living

What IS Dementia By Day School?

In this course, Rachael Wonderlin draws upon her personal and professional experience as a gerontologist, former Dementia Care Director, and current Dementia Care Consultant to share foundational knowledge about how to care for someone with dementia, as well as about dementia itself. She uses humor and real-life anecdotal examples to demonstrate tools that really work when facing common challenges in dementia care.

The material covered in this course includes:

• What is dementia?
  
• Empathy in dementia care
  
• Types of dementia
  
• Embracing Their Reality™
  
• Timeline Confusion™
  
• Identifying and solving resident challenges
  
• Programming and Activities
  
• Interior Design
  
• Dining
  
• Communicating with Families
  
• … And more!
  

To ensure Dementia By Day School students are retaining the information, we also built quizzes into the course. These are simple yet effective comprehension quizzes we put in place to make sure everyone is paying attention.

What if dementia education was fun?

The one thing that I continue running into while working with senior living organizations is this: although they all have different needs and programs, they ALL need staff training. Why not make it fun, applicable and enjoyable all at once?

Are you tired of cramming a bunch of training DVDs and Alzheimer Association talks together to make up the entirety of your state-mandated training hours?

Some communities I talk to turned to Relias for their online dementia training, but find it lacking in scope. Others show their staff a selection of DVDs from the early 2000s. Still others build their own trainings in Powerpoint or on their bulky, confusing HR platforms...and then realize that these fun-bereft slideshows don't get the job done.

So, I started thinking, "What if we...tried something different?"

Join companies like Goodwin House, Elysian Senior Homes, English Meadows, Claiborne Senior Living and Remember Me Senior Care who have sent their entire teams through Dementia By Day School!

We held off enrolling in a dementia training because we couldn’t find anything that the care staff could really utilize during an 8-hour shift with our residents. This training, however, is so applicable and the team is enjoying and learning from it! The other day the care staff asked about our new carpet installation—they’d just watched the interior design portion of the course and were wondering if the carpet provided enough contrast for the residents!

— Lucy Boxrud, President of Elysian Senior Homes

FAQs

Couldn't we just keep using that old dementia care DVD we have?

I mean...I guess so?

We do train-the-trainer at our buildings.

Your nurse trains that other nurse who trains that other person who trains that other other person. Somewhere along the line, the message gets diluted. And, you can't account for everyone being a good presenter! Give Dementia By Day School a try.

We use a slide deck that our old HR Director built.

Ohhhhhhkay...so...you're feeling like that's enough training?

We have Relias, so, we're good.

I know, I know, they have a dementia care class. But, I'm the only person who teaches Embracing Their Reality(TM) and explains dementia care the way that I do. I'm all about the tangible tips and advice, and I think this is something you should know about, too!