This session provides an introduction to normal cognition, age-related changes, and changes that may come from a disease process. We'll examine dementia as a syndrome that may be caused by a wide variety of conditions, discuss the symptoms and general approaches to client support. 

This session will help you:

• Understand the impact of common factors on cognitive ability
• Discuss common symptoms (memory loss, lack of insight, inability to process information etc.)
• Discuss delirium as distinct from dementia
• Identify and apply approaches to minimize impairment and enhance client function where possible

This three-hour session introduces PSWs to the communication skills useful in connecting with clients with impaired cognition. We'll examine the role of daily rhythms and of significant issues/people in the client's life. It introduces the concept of parsing, a method of problem-solving that involves processing communication and client actions to more fully appreciate their significance and possible meanings, and to form positive support approaches. A final section discusses the role of information and approach sharing to promote continuity of positive support. 

This session will help you:

• Recognize how communication changes as a person's cognitive abilities decline
• Understand the importance of a client's  life story and key relationships in shaping care
• Connect lifelong routines to daily support, and appreciate why routine matters
• Use parsing techniques to better interpret and respond to client communication
• Apply interpretive communication strategies to build connection and identify effective support approaches

This interactive session explores client behaviours that may be perceived as aggressive or threatening, and helps staff understand the underlying causes - whether environmental, historical, interpersonal, or cognitive. Participants will learn to distinguish between anger, aggression, communication style, and assertiveness, and explore how appropriate responses can support both client well-being and worker safety. 

This session will help you:

• Distinguish between assertiveness, abruptness, aggression, and anger, and understand the risks of mislabeling behaviour
• Recognize potential triggers of aggression and apply a structured approach to identify and respond to the root cause
• Communicate relevant observations to the team and contribute to the client's support plan
• Identify risks to your own boundaries and well-being, and apply strategies to manage and protect yourself 

This session will examine the processes that change when a person with a mental health issue experiences cognitive loss and identify approaches that support positive experiences for both client and worker.

This session will help you:

• Recognize how depression and cognitive loss may present in clients
• Prioritize concerns and determine what to respond to first
• Apply interventions tailored to each client's unique needs
• Share positive approaches and effective strategies with team members  

Dementia significantly impacts the dying process, often limiting verbal communication and increasing symptom complexity. This workshop addresses symptom recognition, comfort care, and the ethical considerations of end-of-life support.

This session will help you:

• Understand the cognitive and physical changes in late-stage dementia
• Observe and assess symptoms effectively
• Provide dignified, person-centred palliative care
• Navigate ethical dilemmas compassionately

This course is graded and includes 1-2 assignments. Students successfully completing the course will receive a certificate. A pre-course meeting with the trainer is included to help identify specific content areas your organization would like addressed and to tailor the course accordingly. 

We will also conduct a pre-session learning evaluation and can include an exemption process for students who have taken one of Capacity Builders 3-hour Dementia workshops. 

Benefits of the Specialist Certificate:

• A longer format allows time to explore conditions and concepts in greater depth, leading to stronger knowledge retention and application in real-world situations
• PSWs have more opportunity to practice and refine specific skills - such as communication, engagement and assessment
• Time to absorb content and receive feedback, ensuring PSWs gain confidence in supporting clients

Topics covered: 

• Fundamentals of rapport-building and communication
• Types of cognitive loss and the distinctive features of each
• Reversible factors that may impair cognition - and how to address them
• Maximizing ability
• Aggression, anger or anxiety - how to tell and how to respond
• Delirium