Training for Family Carers and Supporters
Content
- Who are these courses for?
- Upcoming Courses- Online & In Person
- How to Register for Our Courses
- Face to Face Courses- Insights into Dementia
- Fully Online Courses: Home Based Care- Home Based Education
- Later Stage Dementia Care
- Meet Our Tutors
- Upcoming Project: iSupport for Young People (11-17 years old)
- New Erasmus+ Project: Dem‑I‑CARE: Learning About Intimacy in Dementia Care
- Awards
- Training for Businesses & Organisations
Who are these courses for?
A family carer is anyone who provides or contributes to the provision of regular, informal care to someone they know, e.g. a spouse, relative, friend, or neighbour.
Upcoming Courses- Online & In Person
To learn more about upcoming courses please follow this link
How to Register for Our Courses
Note: Places are limited and offered by invitation only. To avoid disappointment, we encourage interested participants to apply as early as possible, as spaces may fill quickly.
To register:
1. Complete an Application Form
Complete the Online Application Form , or download the form here, and post it to The Alzheimer Society of Ireland, External Learning and Development Department, Temple Road, Blackrock, Co Dublin, A94 N8YO.
Applications will be acknowledged once received. After applying, you will go onto our waiting list, and we will contact you as soon as possible to offer you a place on our next available course.
2. Await an Invitation from our Team
We will contact you by email or phone. If you have not provided contact details, we will send the invitation by post.
3. Accept the invitation and attend the course
Invitations are for one person only. Due to high demand and health & safety guidelines, we’re unable to accommodate additional attendees. Thank you for your understanding.
Face to Face Courses- Insights into Dementia
Our tutor Therese Shannon (right) at Insights into Dementia Galway (December, 2024)
We deliver ‘Insights into Dementia – Informing and Empowering Family Carers‘ in various counties nationwide.
This is an in-person course that provides information on dementia and its impact. It aims to empower family carers by providing detailed information on dementia and how it progresses, as well as practical advice for carers. This course has recently been updated and improved.
Insights covers topics such as:
- Dementia and Looking After Yourself
- Changing Relationships and Accessing Information
- Communication and Staying Active
- Responsive Behaviours and Safety at Home
- Personal Care and Nutrition and Eating Well
- Course Review and Next Steps
The courses are one session per week for 7 weeks. Sessions usually take place in the evening. Courses are free of charge, but a voluntary donation is welcome.
Note: Places are limited and offered by invitation only. To avoid disappointment, we encourage interested participants to apply as early as possible, as spaces may fill quickly.
To register:
1. Complete an Application Form
Complete the Online Application Form , or download the form here, and post it to The Alzheimer Society of Ireland, External Learning and Development Department, Temple Road, Blackrock, Co Dublin, A94 N8YO.
Applications will be acknowledged once received. After applying, you will go onto our waiting list, and we will contact you as soon as possible to offer you a place on our next available course.
2. Await an Invitation from our Team
We will contact you by email or phone. If you have not provided contact details, we will send the invitation by post.
3. Accept the invitation and attend the course
Invitations are for one person only. Due to high demand and health & safety guidelines, we’re unable to accommodate additional attendees. Thank you for your understanding.
My course tutor has been invaluable and has allowed my family to express our worries and concerns during our 7 weeks. I can't even thank her enough for facilitating the course, and she teaches from the heart and head. Thank you so much.
Gabhán De Lasa, (Insights into Dementia Participant Kildare, December 2024) with his mum Marian
Fully Online Courses: Home Based Care- Home Based Education
This 7-week course is delivered completely online and provides practical support for family carers managing the daily demands of caring for a relative with dementia.
It covers the essential topics below:
- Dementia and Looking After Yourself
- Changing Relationships and Accessing Information
- Communication and Staying Active
- Responsive Behaviours and Safety at Home
- Personal Care and Nutrition and Eating Well
- Course Review and Next Steps
This course is designed to be more flexible and allows participants to engage with the content in their own time. Participants can also read materials and do their reflections at a pace that suits them.
Courses are free of charge, but a voluntary donation is welcome.
For more information, click here or email [email protected]
Note: Places are limited and offered by invitation only. To avoid disappointment, we encourage interested participants to apply as early as possible, as spaces may fill quickly.
To register:
1. Complete an Application Form
Complete the Online Application Form , or download the form here, and post it to The Alzheimer Society of Ireland, External Learning and Development Department, Temple Road, Blackrock, Co Dublin, A94 N8YO.
Applications will be acknowledged once received. After applying, you will go onto our waiting list, and we will contact you as soon as possible to offer you a place on our next available course.
2. Await an Invitation from our Team
We will contact you by email or phone. If you have not provided contact details, we will send the invitation by post.
3. Accept the invitation and attend the course
Invitations are for one person only. Due to high demand and health & safety guidelines, we’re unable to accommodate additional attendees. Thank you for your understanding.
I found out a lot about support services that are available which I wouldn't have known about if I hadn't done this course. The tutors were so lovely, kind and supportive, and offered great advice.
Claire McShane (Home Based Care Participant, December 2023), with her mum Anne
Later Stage Dementia Care
This online, 8-week course is a follow-on course from Insights into Dementia/Home Based Care-Home Based Education, which focuses on providing care to a person with advanced dementia.
Content includes:
- Week 1: Welcome to the course
- Week 2: Introduction to Later Stage Dementia Care
- Week 3: Later Stage Symptoms and End of Life Symptoms
- Week 4: Transitions in Later Stage Dementia Care
- Week 5: Emotional Well-Being for the Person with Dementia
- Week 6: Coping and Self-Care
- Week 7: Person-Centred Communication Approaches
- Week 8: Review, Reflect and Look Ahead
For more information, email [email protected]
You must complete an application form before attending this course. Click here to complete the electronic application form. Submitted applications will be acknowledged. Once we receive your application, you will be added to our waiting list, and we will contact you as soon as possible to offer you a place on our next course.
I am happy I did it, and I would highly recommend it to others; it's a great support for carers at all stages of caring for a loved one with dementia. Thank you to the facilitators for their professionalism and their genuine interest and concern
Later Stage Dementia Care Course Participant, 2023
Meet Our Tutors
Upcoming Project: iSupport for Young People (11-17 years old)
Click on the image to register your interest
The Alzheimer Society of Ireland and Family Carers Ireland are teaming up to deliver a brand-new education programme targeting young people who care for or support a person living with dementia.
iSupport for Young People is a fully online programme and will launch in autumn 2026. The aim of the programme is to provide young people with information and a safe space to talk about their dementia care role.
Caring for someone living with dementia takes many forms, from spending time with the person, doing activities together, right up to providing personal care and support. As dementia is a complex disease with a range of progressive symptoms, carers, including young people, need the best information and support possible to navigate through what can be a challenging time. The programme will look at dementia, the role of the carer, caring for the carer, providing everyday care and dealing with complex situations.
The iSupport for Young People programme will be delivered by experienced and knowledgeable tutors. The content of the programme was developed by Bangor University in Wales with extensive input and guidance from young people.
The iSupport for Young People programme is open to young people aged between 11 and 17 years. More details can be obtained from The Alzheimer Society of Ireland’s Helpline 1800 341 341.
We are also encouraging young people to express their interest by filling in this short form.
For more information, email [email protected]
New Erasmus+ Project: Dem‑I‑CARE: Learning About Intimacy in Dementia Care
We are delighted to announce the start of our new three‑year Erasmus+ project, Dem‑I‑CARE: Learning About Intimacy in Dementia Care. The overall aim of the project is to build an education and training course for family carers on the topic of Intimacy in Dementia Care.
Intimacy and sexuality are fundamental aspects of wellbeing, identity, and relationships throughout life. Yet in the context of dementia, these topics are often overlooked or avoided – particularly within informal care settings. For people living with dementia and their families, this can create uncertainty and a lack of guidance at a time when relationships and needs may be changing.
Dem‑I‑CARE seeks to address this gap by supporting more informed, open, and compassionate approaches to intimacy in dementia care. Dem-I-CARE will collaborate a range of stakeholders including staff from The Alzheimer Society of Ireland, family carers of people living with dementia and others to gain further insight into this topic. These insights will support the development and delivery of a pilot course in early 2028. The objective of the course is to provide course participants with more knowledge, awareness, and practical skills. It is hoped that this will empower them to better respond to the needs of people with dementia, especially concerning intimacy and relationships.
The Alzheimer Society of Ireland’s Learning and Development Department will coordinate the project and will work collaboratively with partners from Poland (Siedleckie Stowarzyszenie Pomocy Osobom z Chorobą Alzheimera), Germany (professore.de) and the Netherlands (Leyden Academy on Vitality and Aging Leyden Academy on Vitality and Ageing).
You can follow the Dementia Matters LinkedIn newsletter for more updates on this project.
To find out more, or get involved in the project, please email [email protected]
Awards
Learning Technology Awards 2017: Best Online Distance Learning Programme
Members of our Learning and Development team Julie Greene, Christine Carr, Fergus Timmons and Davina Smith with our Bronze Award, which we picked up at the Learning Technologies Awards in London in November 2017.
Best Online Distance Learning Programme – Bronze
The award was made at the prestigious Learning Technologies Awards 2017 in London from a field of more than 400 entries worldwide.
Irish Institute of Training and Development (IITD) 2018: Excellence in Digital Learning Programme - Overall Winner
Pictured at the 2018 IITD Awards in KIllashee House, Naas, April 20th, were The Alzheimer Society of Ireland winners of the award for Excellence in Digital Learning (l-r) Rosemary Collier; Fergus Timmons; Christine Carr and Davina Smith. Picture: Brendan Lyon/ImageBureau
Training for Businesses & Organisations
The Alzheimer Society offers a range of courses for businesses and organisations. These can take place online or face-to-face.
We help provide Dementia Awareness training for organisations in all sectors, ranging from retail, transport, banking, health, and the voluntary and community sectors. Together, we are striving to create communities that respect, include, and support people living with dementia, their families, and supporters.
We have several options that might be of interest to your organisation, and we may also tailor our training courses to better suit your organisation’s needs.
To help us better understand your goals, please complete this electronic form here.
Alternatively, feel free to contact us at [email protected] for more information.
You can read more about our training for businesses and organisations here