“For me the best thing was hearing real life shared experiences as this is much more relatable than just learned text book information. The stories shared by the trainers are all real so it makes it much easier to understand their impact. Also being able to share a situation you are unsure of how to handle and hearing a different approach/perspective is hugely beneficial….. It’s already changed the way I will talk to volunteers about visiting someone with dementia……. I just wanted to thank you for your time and guidance, I found the course extremely helpful and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to others so thank you”.

“I really enjoyed this course…I loved how everything was linked to the principles of well-being and then this helps frame everything else….[the training] really helped me build awareness of communication methods to practise; and how to speak to patients and help them achieve the best well-being possible. I also find that it has helped me consider how I frame advice to relatives supporting a person with dementia. I have already recommended this course to a number of carers.”

“Out of all the dementia courses I have done, this was by far the best and most thought provoking. It has allowed me to think differently and have a greater understanding of how to interact with residents. It has been a great source of information and I am grateful I have had the chance to be involved. I think everyone working with those living with dementia should enrol on this course.”

“I am an Occupational Therapist working with people with dementia in a Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) as well as a Community Learning Disabilities Team. I attended the nine-week course for professionals in November 2021. Each session was only an hour long and introduced one new concept. In the past I have attended a number of courses on dementia, but this one has definitely altered my practice.
With every session I was able to gradually change how I interacted with people with dementia, and support their carers to improve their communication skills. I now focus on feelings, not facts. I ask a lot fewer questions. I have also been able to support people to experience fewer incidents of aggression, agitation, or distress.
At the time of the course, I was running a small therapeutic group for people with dementia, based on principles of cognitive stimulation. As the course went on, I adapted my practice and included fewer recall exercises. I began to rely more on people’s feelings, which led them to engage better in the group.
I now fully incorporate the course recommendations into my everyday practice. When completing PAL assessments reports, I now include additional recommendations on communication skills. The principles of the course can be applied to people with dementia with or without learning disabilities. I would highly recommend the course to professionals, particularly occupational therapists, but also family carers or carers’ groups, who might find that looking after their loved ones becomes more manageable”.

“This course is by far the best and most practical of all courses I have attended on dementia. It focuses on how to work with people who have dementia to enable them to be in a state of well-being as much as possible…. The method used to achieve this is unlike a method anyone else has ever suggested….Shirley is passionate about dementia and extremely knowledgeable. She has worked to perfect her approach, and has many examples to demonstrate how it works…..The interactive course includes delegates sharing experiences, and problem solving using very useful and practical suggestions from Shirley…It is very thought provoking, and positive, and has filled me with enthusiasm and hope that I can work with people with dementia and their carers, in a way that enables wellbeing”.

“As an occupational therapist working in dementia care for many years, this course helped validate what I was already doing and encouraged me to try different approaches to common behaviours.  It was so good to focus on ways to help people with dementia feel listened to and to build their confidence, rather than viewing their behaviour as something to be managed with medication. The tips were easy to understand and apply, and my patients have felt understood and able to contribute more confidently. Not asking questions and communicating ‘adult’ to ‘adult’ rather than ‘parent’ to ‘child’ have been really helpful techniques, and have been easy to explain to carers. This is a different way of looking at things which values the person for who they are and encourages us to put their wellbeing first, rather than our own process-driven agenda”.

“Attending the course that Understanding Dementia runs was an absolute game changer for me! … It taught me to follow my human instincts and focus on the feelings of the with people with dementia that I support – that their feelings should be my number one priority. And in this way, I can maintain a connection with them and always leave them feeling content and happy… [The course] makes logical, practical sense…and is engaging and emotive. I think everyone should have to do it!”