Working therapeutically with dementia patients and carers

Are you a healthcare professional, who wants to develop an understanding of dementia and how to work therapeutically with people at the early stages of dementia?

Dementia is a progressive neurodegenerative disease which has no cure; we can only slow down the progression. It affects nearly a million people in the UK, and these numbers are increasing with the enhanced awareness of it. More and more people are getting diagnosed early, and the age of the dementia sufferers is getting younger - the youngest was in the late 20s.

The approach to dementia treatment is bio-medial-social, which focuses on pharmacological treatment with psychotropic medications, and non-pharmacological treatment with therapeutic cognitive stimulating activities. However, people with dementia do come to therapy to address their psychological needs, particularly at the beginning of their cognitive decline, and in their early diagnosis stages.

Some people in therapy may start presenting dementia with symptoms which reshape the therapeutic frame, and a need to adjust to how we work with them. It is imperative that as therapists we understand how to identify dementia symptoms and develop an awareness of working with the dementia client group and their carers in a therapeutic manner.

Psychologically people with dementia experience loss and grief- loss of faculties, loss of the life that they could have lived, and the impending loss of their cognitive and functional abilities. Dementia sufferers are also prone to depression and their depression can be misinterpreted as dementia. As therapists, it is crucial that we pay attention to the psychological needs of those affected by dementia and meet them in a way that enhances their wellbeing, and adequately supports them through this life stage.

Carers of dementia sufferers also come to therapy to work through the trauma and navigate the journey of caring for a loved one with dementia or having a loved one diagnosed with dementia. They often experience chronic stress, and they are at risk of burnout. They also experience devastating loss and grief, which at times becomes complicated due to the contradiction of losing someone who is still alive - loss of the healthy relative/friend they had and having to grieve and get used to the new version.

These complexities in grief often manifest in profound guilt, anger, resentment, difficulties letting go, and one becoming a martyr in their caring role. As therapists, it is vital that we have a robust understanding of dementia, how it manifests, and the psychological needs of the carers in order for us to adequately support the carers in their formidable caring roles.

What you will learn

Understanding dementia

Gain insight into different types of dementia, their presentations and impacts on the individual - Alzheimer's, dementia, vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal dementia, Parkinson's dementia, mixed dementia and Korsakoff syndrome.

Identifying symptoms

Presentations, cognitive and non-cognitive symptoms.

Risk profile

Identify the different risks and risk factors people with dementia face.

Working therapeutically with dementia clients

Identify how we can work therapeutically attending to loss and grief- loss of the healthy self to acceptance.

Working therapeutically with carers of dementia clients

Identify how we can work therapeutically with carers, attending to loss and grief - letting go and self-care

Navigating identity shift

Facilitating and acceptance of the new identity and learning to accept help.

Communication

Learn how to effectively communicate with individuals living with dementia, fostering trust, understanding and self-acceptance.

Appropriate empathy and countertransference

Being mindful of our countertransference and the risk of acting out, we  tend to see our older selves and overidentify which can be countertherapeutic

Treatment and interagency working

Develop an understating of how dementia is treated and services that can help dementia sufferers

Dementia community support

Understand the support services available for dementia sufferers.

Dementia carer support

Understand the support available for dementia carers.