Dementia Awareness

Course Overview

Dementia Awareness Training helps learners understand what dementia is, how it can affect individuals in different ways, and how to provide safe, compassionate, and person-centred support.

There are currently around 944,000 people living with dementia in the UK. By 2030, that figure is projected to exceed one million. In health and social care settings, dementia is not a specialist subject. It is part of everyday work, and the quality of care a person with dementia receives depends significantly on whether the people supporting them actually understand what dementia is and what it is not.

Dementia is not one condition. It is an umbrella term covering more than 200 subtypes, each with different causes, different patterns of progression, and different effects on the individual. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common, but vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, and frontotemporal dementia all present differently and require different responses. A care worker who has only ever understood dementia as memory loss is not equipped to recognise or respond to the full range of what they will encounter.

This matters because the gaps in understanding cause real harm. A person with dementia who asks the same question repeatedly is not being difficult. They genuinely do not have the memory of asking it before. A person who becomes distressed in a busy communal area is not being challenging. Their brain is overwhelmed by sensory input it can no longer filter. A person who resists personal care is not being uncooperative. They may not understand who is in their room or what is happening to them. When staff do not understand this, they respond to the behaviour rather than to what the behaviour is communicating. That causes distress to the individual, stress to the care worker, and in the worst cases, unsafe care.

Dementia Awareness Training gives care staff the knowledge, empathy, and practical understanding to support people living with dementia safely, respectfully, and in a way that is genuinely centred on the individual. This is an awareness course. It does not cover clinical treatment or specialist dementia interventions. It builds the foundational understanding that every member of a care team needs, regardless of their role.

The course reflects current best practice guidance from Dementia UK, the Alzheimer’s Society, and NHS England’s Well Pathway for Dementia. It aligns with the expectations of the Care Quality Commission under Regulation 9 (Person-Centred Care) and Regulation 10 (Dignity and Respect), and with workforce guidance from Skills for Care.

Course Details

  • Duration: Half day or full day, depending on requirements
  • Delivery: In-person at your venue, or live online via Zoom or Microsoft Teams
  • Certificate: CPD-accredited certificate of achievement in Dementia Awareness
  • Refresher: Every 1 to 3 years, or sooner following changes to guidance, workplace practice, or care needs
  • Group size: Flexible for team training

Who This Course Is For

This course is right for anyone who supports, works alongside, or makes decisions affecting people living with dementia, including:

  • Care assistants and support workers in care homes, supported living, and domiciliary care
  • Senior carers and team leaders
  • Residential, nursing home, and community care staff
  • Health professionals working with older adults or individuals with neurological conditions
  • Staff supporting individuals in the early, middle, or later stages of dementia
  • New starters completing the Care Certificate
  • Experienced staff who have never had dementia awareness addressed in a structured way

No prior knowledge is needed.

Why This Training Matters

Dementia is the leading cause of death in England and Wales and one of the greatest public health challenges the UK faces. NHS England’s Well Pathway for Dementia sets out a clear framework for improving the quality of care and support for people living with dementia at every stage, from prevention and early diagnosis through to end of life. That framework depends on a workforce that understands dementia well enough to deliver on it.

The consequences of poor dementia awareness in care settings are well documented. Misinterpreted behaviour leads to inappropriate responses, unnecessary restriction, and increased distress. Communication failures lead to unmet needs, loss of dignity, and avoidable deterioration. A care worker who responds to distressed behaviour with frustration or physical redirection, rather than curiosity about what is driving it, is not providing safe care. And they are often doing so not out of malice but because nobody has ever properly explained to them what they are looking at.

Dementia also affects everyone differently, and this is one of the most important things this course addresses. Two people with the same diagnosis can present in entirely different ways. Age of onset, type of dementia, personality, life history, physical health, and environment all influence how dementia manifests. A care worker who understands this will approach each person as an individual. One who does not will apply a one-size-fits-all response that serves nobody well.

The Alzheimer’s Society and Dementia UK are both clear that specialist dementia knowledge, delivered to frontline care staff, makes a measurable difference to quality of life for people living with dementia. This course is where that knowledge starts.

CQC inspectors look closely at how dementia care is delivered. They ask individuals and families about their experience. They look at whether staff demonstrate genuine understanding of the condition or whether dementia care is being delivered on autopilot. A team with strong dementia awareness is a team that inspectors notice for the right reasons.

What You Will Learn

By the end of the session, learners will be able to:

  • Explain what dementia is, why it is an umbrella term, and why this matters for how individuals are supported
  • Identify the most common types of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, and frontotemporal dementia, and understand how they differ
  • Recognise common signs and symptoms of dementia across different types and stages
  • Understand why dementia affects every person differently and why individual-centred support is essential
  • Recognise behaviour as communication and respond to what the behaviour is expressing rather than to the behaviour itself
  • Communicate more effectively with people living with dementia, adapting approach, language, pace, and environment
  • Support dignity, independence, and inclusion throughout the progression of dementia
  • Understand the emotional impact of dementia on the individual, their family, and unpaid carers
  • Challenge myths and assumptions about dementia that compromise the quality of care
  • Apply dementia awareness directly to their own role and care setting

Course Content

Content is adapted to your setting and team, but typically covers:

  • What dementia is and what it is not: dementia as an umbrella term and why the distinction matters
  • Types of dementia: Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal dementia, and others
  • Signs and symptoms across types and stages: what to look for and why presentations vary so significantly between individuals
  • Why dementia affects everyone differently: the role of type, personality, life history, physical health, and environment
  • The progressive nature of dementia: how needs change over time and what that means for care
  • Behaviour as communication: understanding distress, repetition, resistance, and withdrawal without judgment
  • Communication strategies: adapting language, pace, tone, and environment to support understanding and reduce anxiety
  • Person-centred dementia care: using life history, preferences, and routine to support the individual
  • Dignity, inclusion, and independence: maintaining these throughout every stage of dementia
  • The impact on families and unpaid carers: understanding their experience and how staff can support them
  • Challenging myths and stigma: addressing the assumptions that lead to poor practice
  • Dementia and the care environment: how physical spaces affect wellbeing and behaviour

How the Course Is Delivered

Sessions are reflective, discussion-based, and grounded in real care situations. The aim is not just awareness of what dementia is, but a genuine shift in how staff think about and respond to the people they support.

Delivery includes:

  • Scenario-based discussion drawn from real care settings, including misinterpreted behaviour, communication failures, and responses that caused unnecessary distress
  • Reflective exercises that encourage learners to examine their own assumptions and responses honestly
  • Practical communication strategies that can be applied immediately in role
  • Discussion of dementia as an umbrella term and why individual differences are the starting point for everything
  • Time for questions, because dementia consistently generates them once people begin to understand the complexity of what they are working with

Certification and Validity

On completion, learners receive a CPD-accredited certificate of achievement in Dementia Awareness.

A refresher is recommended every 1 to 3 years, or sooner following changes to guidance, significant changes to the needs of individuals being supported, or where supervision or audit identifies gaps in practice. Many organisations align dementia awareness refreshers with their wider mandatory training cycle or Care Certificate induction programme.

In-House and Bespoke Training

We adapt delivery to your setting, your team, and the people you support.

We can build content around:

  • The specific types of dementia most prevalent in your service and the presentations your team encounters
  • Your internal documentation, care planning approaches, and escalation processes
  • The stage of dementia most relevant to your setting, whether early diagnosis, mid-stage, or advanced dementia and end-of-life care
  • Common practice gaps identified through supervision, complaints, or CQC feedback
  • Combined delivery with Communication in Care, Person-Centred Care, or Mental Capacity Act training for a joined-up programme

Course Location and Service Areas

We deliver in-house training at your workplace or chosen venue across Manchester, Greater Manchester, and the wider North West. We also deliver nationally, including North England, South England, London, and Surrey.

For teams in multiple locations or with remote workers, this course is available live online via Zoom or Microsoft Teams, with no drop in quality or interaction.

All sessions are led by experienced Prima Cura Training instructors. Every trainer holds an Enhanced DBS certificate.

FAQs

What is the difference between dementia and Alzheimer’s disease?

Alzheimer’s disease is a type of dementia. Dementia is an umbrella term covering more than 200 subtypes, of which Alzheimer’s is the most common, accounting for around 60 to 70 % of cases. Other common types include vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, and frontotemporal dementia. Each has different causes, different patterns of progression, and different effects on the individual. Understanding this distinction is one of the most important things this course addresses, because treating dementia as a single condition leads to a one-size-fits-all approach that fails most of the people it is supposed to support.

Why does dementia affect people so differently?

Because dementia is not one condition, and because even within the same type, every person is different. The type of dementia, where in the brain damage occurs, the person’s age, personality, life history, physical health, and environment all influence how it presents and progresses. Two people with the same diagnosis can have entirely different experiences. This is why person-centred care is not just best practice in dementia support. It is the only approach that actually works.

Does this course cover ‘challenging behaviour’?

This course does not use the term challenging behaviour, and for good reason. Behaviour in people living with dementia is always communication. It expresses an unmet need, a source of anxiety, pain, confusion, or distress. When staff understand that, they stop trying to manage the behaviour and start trying to understand what is behind it. That shift in approach is one of the most practically significant things this course produces.

Is this course suitable for staff who have worked in dementia care for years?

Yes, and often particularly valuable for them. Experienced staff can carry ingrained assumptions and habitual responses that have never been formally examined. This course consistently surfaces understanding gaps in staff who have supported people with dementia for years, including assumptions about what dementia is, why people behave as they do, and what good support actually looks like.

Does this course cover the impact on families and carers?

Yes. Living with a family member with dementia, or providing unpaid care for someone with dementia, is one of the most demanding experiences a person can face. This course addresses the emotional and practical impact on families and unpaid carers, and how care staff can support them as part of a whole-person approach to dementia care.

What external organisations support people living with dementia?

The Alzheimer’s Society and Dementia UK are both leading UK organisations providing support, information, and resources for people living with dementia, their families, and the professionals who support them. Dementia UK’s Admiral Nurse service provides specialist dementia nursing support. Both organisations are referenced throughout this course and are valuable resources for care teams seeking further guidance.

Related Courses

Book or Enquire

To book Dementia Awareness Training or to discuss a tailored option for your organisation, please get in touch with Prima Cura Training. We’re happy to advise on delivery options, group sizes, and suitability for your service.

Our Commitment to Quality and Compliance

At Prima Cura Training, all courses reflect current UK guidance and best practice.

All trainers are experienced professionals with relevant qualifications and ongoing CPD. Because many of the organisations we support work with vulnerable individuals, all trainers hold Enhanced DBS checks.

This course is reviewed against updates from Dementia UK, the Alzheimer’s Society, NHS England’s Well Pathway for Dementia, the Care Quality Commission, and current UK dementia care guidance, including the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 and Skills for Care workforce standards.

You can read more on our Quality Assurance and Compliance page.

Reviewed by Stephanie Austin, Owner and Lead Trainer, Prima Cura Training 25+ years in health and social care | 15+ years as a trainer | Last reviewed: April 2026 | Next review: April 2027

This page is for general guidance only and reflects UK legislation, NHS England guidance, and sector best practice current at the date of review. It does not constitute clinical or medical advice. Dementia Awareness Training is an awareness-level course for care workers and does not replace clinical assessment, diagnosis, or specialist dementia intervention, which must be carried out by appropriately qualified healthcare professionals. Care workers must always act within their role, in line with the individual’s care plan, and in accordance with their organisation’s policies and procedures. Families or individuals concerned about a possible dementia diagnosis should contact their GP in the first instance. Prima Cura Training accepts no liability for decisions made on the basis of this content alone.

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