Dementia Training Australia has launched a free online training course for aged care staff who care for people with dementia overnight.
Bedtime to Breakfast aims to help night carers provide person-centred care through a focus on health and wellbeing, according to DTA knowledge translation manager Belinda Goodenough, who developed the course.
“In a night care context, this may mean planning ahead to ensure things like safe lighting, reduced noise and soothing activities, as well as respecting individual sleep preferences,” Ms Goodenough said.
“These are important strategies to have, because we know people with dementia can spend up to 40 per cent of their bedtime hours awake.”
The two-hour course was developed in partnership with South Australian aged care provider Life Care, which won a Better Practice Award in 2014 for its Bedtime to Breakfast program.
The course covers:
- facts about sleep including differences in needs and preferences
- sleep and night time experiences for people with dementia in residential aged care
- health and wellbeing, including self-care tips for carers, especially shift workers in residential care.
DTA said that like its other courses, Bedtime to Breakfast is short, mobile-friendly and free to the learner.
It begins on 1 February and will be repeated monthly.
Register via Dementia Training Australia’s website.
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