This 10-module (10-hour) program is a combination of the 4 modules from CARES® Dementia Basics™ and the 6 modules from CARES® Dementia Advanced Care™ and is our best value for comprehensive dementia education. It provides our core dementia care training—focusing on: person-centered care, the changes that happen to thinking skills as dementia progresses, how those changes impact behavior, and how to understand behavior as communication. It also covers specific care topics like making a connection, eating, pain, wandering, falls, and eliminating restraints. It includes a wide variety of interactive exercises and video clips of real people with dementia, family members, Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs), and other staff.

CARES Dementia Basics & Advanced Care was funded in part by a grant from the National Institute on Aging and was developed in conjunction with the national office of the Alzheimer’s Association and a national team of experts. It is consistent with the latest evidence-based research from the Alzheimer’s Association Campaign for Quality Residential Care Practice Recommendations.

And now, you can get advanced certification by the Alzheimer’s Association in essentiALZ™. Just complete the CARES Dementia Basics & Advanced Care program, take and pass the essentiALZ certification exam, complete an evaluation, and become certified. EssentiALZ Advanced certification allows you to be more prepared, demonstrate more knowledge, and feel more confident in the care of people with dementia. It’s important information you’ll have for interactions with family, church, and community members.

This 10-module (10-hour) program is ideal for:

• Family members or friends of someone living with dementia
• Community members and anyone wanting to learn more about dementia and dementia care
• Anyone working for a nursing home, assisted living, hospice, or other residential facility
• Home health organizations
• Adult day programs
• Governmental agencies
• Social service agencies
• Police, fire, and other first responders

The 10 modules include:

1. Meet Clara Jones
2. Introduction to Dementia
3. Understanding Behavior as Communication
4. The CARES Approach™
5. Making a Connection with the Person
6. Eating Well
7. Recognizing Pain
8. Minimizing Falls
9. Rethinking Wandering
10. Minimizing and Eliminating Restraints