Amy Torres,
Director of Training
The Value of Education and Training During a Pandemic
We understand that caregivers struggle with stress, lack of self-care, social isolation, and empathy fatigue. These issues have become exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Typically, caregivers create a network of support for themselves and the person in their care. We have learned, however, that the quarantine has disrupted normal routines and support systems. No longer possible are visits from friends, family members, or hired caregivers. Adult Day Care programs are no longer accessible. Additionally, people with dementia may not understand why they have to social distance or why caregivers are wearing masks, which may be confusing or even frightening, leading to additional behavioral challenges.
Social connectedness is needed now more than ever. Attending online seminars or virtual trainings is crucial in bolstering emotional and spiritual health. Connecting with caregiving communities, receiving information, getting advice, listening to the experiences of others, and being heard by peer caregivers can be part of caring for yourself.
CaringKind has transitioned all its education and training services to a virtual platform to ensure caregivers have the much-needed opportunity to connect to support in a safe, convenient way. Our education and training programs seek to highlight the importance of preserving the person with dementia’s “personhood” while helping caregivers understand the world through the lens of somebody with dementia.
Virtual Educational Seminars are learning experiences to assist caregivers with understanding all aspects of dementia and the type of care that the person with dementia will require throughout the trajectory of their disease.
Virtual Family Caregiver Workshops provide family and friend caregivers the information, tools, and skills necessary to manage their own needs while supporting the person with dementia. Each session builds on the prior one, so that participants can have the opportunity to tackle the issues around dementia care that most affect them. Participants are encouraged to share and learn from each other, while simultaneously providing the emotional support necessary to meet the challenges of caring for someone with dementia.
Virtual Dementia Care Training for Professional Caregivers is one of our most successful and sought-after programs, and has evolved significantly since its inception over 20 years ago. The training is available for direct paid care workers, including home health aides, home attendants, certified nursing assistants, and others. The participants meet one half-day per week for six weeks, and the program is capped by a graduation ceremony. This training program focuses on the importance of building skills and understanding dementia from both emotional and practical points of view. The goal is to ensure that persons with dementia receive the highest quality of care possible. Graduates are also eligible to participate in CaringKind’s useful web-based networking resource, TogetherWeCare.com, which matches families with professional caregivers who have completed our training program.