Alzheimer's and Dementia Caregiver Certification Course

 Today, I enrolled in a four hour course in Alzheimer's and Dementia Caregiving through the Barclay Training Institute. I decided to take the course for several reasons. I wanted to add relevant continuing education to my professional background, strengthen my caregiving knowledge, and have formal education that I could reference when discussing my experience and qualifications.

After years of caring for my mother, I have personally experienced the progression of dementia from its earlier stages through advanced disease. I have learned through experience how dramatically dementia can affect memory, communication, behavior, mobility, judgment, personal care, and everyday functioning. I have experienced nearly every stage of my mother's illness, with the exception of hospice and end of life care.

Although much of the course material was familiar to me because of my years of caregiving experience, completing formal education in the subject was still valuable. It gave me an opportunity to compare what I have learned through experience with established caregiving principles and professional guidance.

And what a way to spend New Year's Eve.

I am genuinely grateful that I invested the time and money to complete the course. The course included a 20 question examination, and I missed only one question. Interestingly, the question I missed was related to a legal issue rather than caregiving itself. Legal matters are not my area of expertise, so I was not particularly surprised by that result.

The remainder of the assessment focused on caregiving, and I was pleased to see how closely my years of hands on experience aligned with the material presented in the course.

Experience Matters, but Education Matters Too

There is something reassuring about seeing the knowledge you have gained through years of experience confirmed by formal education.

Caregiving is not simply about helping someone eat, bathe, dress, or get from one room to another. It requires observation, patience, communication, safety awareness, understanding behavioral changes, recognizing when something is outside your area of expertise, and knowing when professional medical or legal assistance is necessary.

I have spent years learning these things firsthand.

Completing this course does not make me an expert in every aspect of dementia care, nor does a certificate replace the guidance of physicians, nurses, social workers, attorneys, or other qualified professionals. What it does provide is another piece of formal education that complements the experience I have already gained.

Going into the New Year, I feel more confident in my abilities as a caregiver. I have made mistakes along the way, because caregiving is a learning process, but I also know that I have taken the responsibility seriously, educated myself, sought appropriate guidance, and continually tried to do what is best for my mother.

After everything I have learned and everything I have experienced, I can finally say with confidence:

I know what I am doing as a caregiver.