Alzheimer, a shared disease - Respect & Respite

Name of good practice	“Alzheimer, a shared disease” CARER TRAINING
Name of organisation	KNOWALZHEIMER
Website	https://knowalzheimer.com/
Email Address	https://knowalzheimer.com/pregunta-al-experto-alzheimer/
City, Country	Spain
Sector	Healthcare, workers, families

SHORT DESCRIPTION

“Alzheimer, a shared disease” came about as a response to the need for a basic training manual that could be consulted and used in the psychological training of carers for dementia suffers.

This first project aims to provide professional carers with further training and a guide to help them train non-professionals.

It is an open-ended project that aims to provide a genuinely useful tool for improving the quality of life of Alzheimer’s sufferers through training.

The course is divided into four modules that provide basic psychoeducational support:

Alzheimer’s disease.
Alzheimer sufferers.
The main carer and the family.
Legal and healthcare resources.

The course can be used in the above form as a four module training programme or each module can be used individually according to the needs of the trainees.

Attendees are requested to complete two questionnaires, one on the first day of training and the other on the final day. The questionnaires aim to encourage carers to reflect on their workload and their knowledge of their role:

The Zarit questionnaire on carers’ workloads.
A questionnaire on course content.

These questionnaires will also help teachers get to know carers better and where they need to develop the material more. The final questionnaire will also provide teachers with self-assessment and facilitate improvement.

MODULE 1: ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE

History
Definition
Symptoms
Diagnosis
Causes and risk factors
Development
Pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies (psychosocial treatments)

MODULE 2: ALZHEIMER SUFFERERS

The sufferer’s inner world
The needs of dementia sufferers
Psychological and behavioural symptoms associated with Alzheimer’s disease
Dealing with the psychological and behavioural symptoms
Behavioural therapy and carers’ A B C
Communicating with sufferers

MODULE 3: THE MAIN CARER AND THE FAMILY

Definition
Carers and their family ties to sufferers
Main carers’ needs
Main carers’ rights
Biopsychosocial effects on main carers
Effects on family structure
Excessive workload protection factors

MODULE 4: LEGAL AND HEALTHCARE RESOURCES

Legal resources
Healthcare resources

WHY HAS IT BEEN SELECTED AS A BEST PRACTICE?

This project has been selected as a best practice for a variety of reasons:

-the target group:

It’s aimed at professional carers who want to broaden their knowledge of dementia sufferers as well as at non-professional carers. Professional carers can also use it as a guide for training non-professionals.

-The flexible nature of the training:

The training course offers four independent modules that can be taken individually or consecutively according to the needs of the trainees.

-The open-ended nature of the tool:

The resources are available to the general public and can be downloaded from the following website:

https://knowalzheimer.com/cuidadores/curso-formacion-cuidadores-alzheimer/#tab-1483364739-1-42

The material is easy to use and open-ended and this means that it will reach a wider public and have a greater impact.