Expert Practice in Delivering Person-Centred Dementia Care: is it for me?

Have you heard of our online module Expert Practice in Delivering Person-Centred Dementia Care and wondered if it’s the sort of course that you could take? Find out more with this week’s blog post which is written by the Module Lead Isabelle Latham. Take it away Izzie:

So, it’s come to that time again when the application deadline looms for the module I lead: MDEM4003 – Expert Practice in delivering Person-Centred Dementia Care. This is an exciting time, as I know already we have enough students to go ahead so I get to find out who will be joining me in January!

The past year has been a rollercoaster; with my first experience of delivering the module online and a global pandemic thrown in the mix just to keep us all on our toes. However, it’s gone well and this year’s students continue to make me proud with their commitment to their studies as they work towards their final assignment at the end of the year.

What’s different about the MDEM4003/Expert Practice module?

The “Expert Practice” module is a great one to have the opportunity to lead because it’s so different from the usual academic offer. Students on the module learn to deliver an evidence-based training and support intervention (called FITS into Practice) that is proven to improve psycho-social care for people living with dementia and thus reduce the use of restrictive and potentially harmful measures such as use of anti-psychotic medications.

This means that students not only explore the ins and outs of the programme, learn to critique the evidence behind it, research new developments in person-centred care and reflect on their own practice but they also develop their own training from the FITS into Practice resources and deliver it to health and care staff in their own organisations. This means they and I get to see the impact of what they’re learning in real time! Whether it’s the breakthrough when they negotiate with their executive board to prioritise the programme or a feel-good story about the progress one of their staff or residents have made, it’s a great way for us all to keep grounded in why we do the work we do.

Could MDEM4003/Expert Practice Module be for you?

Students who successfully complete the module are able to practice as a Dementia Practice Development Coach for their own organisation and are members of an ongoing community of practice for all successful students. This means they can deliver the FITS into Practice programme in the organisations with which they work as part of their ongoing role and know that the training and support they provide is based on the latest evidence. If that sounds useful to you and if you answer yes to the following questions, this module might be for you!

• Does your work involve training or developing other staff who work with people living with dementia?
• Are you looking for an evidence-based way to improve person-centred care in your organisation?
• Do you enjoy exploring new ideas and challenging yourself and others to try different ways of working?
• Have you got experience in developing and delivering training?

Do you want to find out more?

If you want to find out more, speak to the module tutor or apply, please go here to see the University module pages.

This year I’ve had the pleasure of teaching students working with care homes, hospitals and in the community, as well as people from across the UK and Ireland. I’m excited to see who will be joining me for the next year!

Isabelle (Module Lead for MDEM4003)

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