Aged care workers get assistance from the Centre for Dementia Learning (CDL) new free online courses to help patients during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Until June 30th 2020, any aged care sectors are able to sign up to CDL for a free online learning course that assists the workers in guiding participants in teaching the framework of dementia and polishes on problem-solving skills. The course has been made readily available dues to the fear of increased stress levels within patience at the care homes.
The CDL course is 2 hours long and focuses on putting what the patient’s learnt into practical use. Participants are also allowed to pause and continue whenever they feel comfortable. Nobuko Fujito, Care Manager at Salvation Army, Macquarie Lodge Aged Care Centre said, “The online learning courses are having a positive impact on our staff. They have given us new information to help clients during this time and I would definitely recommend the courses to other organisations.” This helps workers to understand their patient and maintain their health.
Ms McCabe said, “With the courses freely available online until 30 June, staff all over Australia, in cities, remote and regional areas, can access these modules.” CDL aims to help areas all over Australia, increasing the range and accessibility to ensure people with dementia get the needed help.
With a lot of measures in place due to the lockdown, it is a time where a lot of people will be anxious, especially people with dementia. McCabe elaborates, “People living with dementia are some of the most vulnerable people in our community right now, and increasing the focus on engagement and communication at this time of restricted physical contact is vital to ensure better care outcomes”.
An essential aspect for this initiative was to counteract the initial reaction of limiting or prohibiting any visits or contact with elderly patients during the early parts of the pandemic. With this course, workers can maintain their patient’s health from a safe distance, minimising contact and therefore the risk of spreading the virus.
Due to the accessibility to this course, it’ll provide more insight on how workers can further provide assistance to their patient with dementia, especially during a stressful time. Ms McCabe said, “Now is a great opportunity for those in the aged care industry to explore and implement new strategies.”
Original:
Aaron Lam 