Dementia Awareness Training Course

Dementia is a term for memory loss and difficulties with problem-solving, language and thinking. Dementia can become severe enough to affect daily life and may also change moods or behaviours. 

Some people may question whether dementia is a mental illness, but it isn't. It's a condition or disorder of the brain. 

Our Dementia Awareness course covers the term in more detail and how it can affect individuals in different ways.

The most significant symptom of dementia is memory loss. This can become progressively worse as the person develops through the 7 stages of dementia. Other signs and symptoms include becoming disorientated or confused, struggling to follow conversations and experiencing mood swings. The 7 stages of dementia are explained below. 

The 7 stages of dementia are:

Stage 1 – Normal behaviour with regular cognitive function. No symptoms such as memory loss. Whilst changes in the brain may occur in stage 1, the person does not have dementia. 

Stage 2 - Forgetfulness or memory loss may present themselves in stage 2 dementia, however, it tends not to be noticed by others. 

Stage 3 - At this stage, close family and friends begin to observe signs of dementia, as the person starts to lose and/or forget things more frequently, and may also become disorientated. 

Stage 4 – Whilst someone in stages 1,2 or 3 of dementia have shown no or mild signs of cognitive decline, from stage 4 they start to demonstrate symptoms of more moderate decline, as daily life becomes more difficult. Stage 4 can last around two years. 

Stage 5 - The cognitive decline of somebody with stage 5 dementia is moderate to severe and loved ones taking care of them may require more help. Whilst they might be unable to remember things such as their phone number or address, they still tend to recognise family and friends. Stories and facts from their long-term memory, from their childhood, for example, can still be recalled in stage 5 dementia. 

Stage 6 - By stage 6, the person with dementia will require extensive support and bladder and bowel control may decline, requiring continence care. Changes in personality and behaviour may also occur with stage 6 dementia. 

Stage 7 - The most severe stage of dementia, people at this stage have problems with their ability to speak and communicate, and require constant care as they lose psychomotor skills, which affect their ability to control their movement.

There are several types of dementia, the most common of which is Alzheimer’s Disease. Other forms of dementia include Vascular Dementia, Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB), Parkinson's Disease, Huntington’s Disease, Mixed Dementia, Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD), Huntington's Disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus, and Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome. 

To find out more about the different dementia types, enrol on our Dementia Awareness training course.

Dementia is the general term for a decline in cognitive ability. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. 

Dementia already affects over 850,000 people in the UK alone, with 1 in 6 people over 80 years of age suffering from this condition. As life expectancy in the UK increases, so does the risk of dementia to the older generation. Learning about Dementia Awareness and how to reduce the risk is, therefore, important for everybody. 

Early onset dementia is when dementia first occurs in a person under the age of 65. It can also be known as young onset dementia.

Due to dementia being associated with old age, early symptoms of early onset/young onset dementia aren’t always recognised and can be missed, leading to a negative impact on the person’s life. It’s important your care workers know the signs and symptoms to be able to give them the appropriate support. Ensure they know how to spot them and enrol your staff on our Dementia Awareness training course today!

The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer, but there are many kinds of dementia, including Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, Lewy Body Dementia, Down Syndrome and Alzheimer’s Disease, Frontotemporal Dementia, Huntington’s Disease, Mixed dementia, Parkinson’s Disease Dementia and many more.