Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris TD today (Friday) launched a new programme to upskill healthcare workers in Dementia Care.
The programme, the first of its kind in Ireland, is designed for healthcare workers to enhance their skills and deepen their understanding of this specialist area.
Minister Harris said: “There are over 64,000 people in Ireland currently living with dementia with the numbers predicted to rise to 150,000 by 2050.
“The rapid aging of the population is a challenge faced by many countries, and Ireland is no exception. As the population ages, the number of people affected by dementia will increase significantly.
“This upskilling programme is accredited by Quality and Qualifications Ireland, which is the agency responsible for the quality, integrity and reputation of Ireland’s further and higher education system.
“It will be led by those with experience of dementia care. I believe this could be an invaluable tool in assisting healthcare workers across the healthcare family.”
The programme, developed by Skillnet Ireland, was specifically developed to address a skills gap in a growing area of care, so that people living with dementia across all settings will benefit from enhanced care.
With 64,000 people in Ireland currently living with dementia - predicted to rise to 150,000 by 2050 - this programme launch is a key step in the addressing the immediate and long-term needs of Ireland's healthcare sector, providing enhanced skills in dementia care across acute care, long term residential care, nursing homes and homecare.
Competency in dementia care is a key requirement for healthcare providers working in this area, and the programmes launch will support The Irish National Dementia Strategy (2019) which states that all staff caring or interacting with those with dementia should receive on-going training to ensure they have the skills to provide high quality care.
Tracey Donnery, Executive Director, Skillnet Ireland said, “Leading Healthcare Providers Skillnet has an excellent track record in engaging with businesses within the healthcare sector to identify their business needs and developing new accredited programmes to meet their talent and skills challenges. This new Certificate in Dementia Care offers a further learning pathway in dementia care for healthcare assistants and is an excellent solution to help this sector better support people living with dementia and their families, across acute, residential, nursing home and home care settings.”
The first eight-week programme takes place in March and is fully booked. The next intake for the Dementia Care Programme in April is open to healthcare workers across the country.
Further information on the programme is available here:
https://www.lhpskillnet.ie/course-detail/Certificate-in-Dementia-Care/
Notes to Editors:
About Leading Healthcare Providers SkillnetLeading Healthcare Providers Skillnet is a business network for companies of all sizes in the healthcare sector.
Participating companies work collaboratively to share best practice and to respond effectively to their business, talent and skills needs. The network addresses both technical and non-technical skills needs of these businesses.
The objective of this national network is to support the growth of Ireland’s private healthcare sector by enhancing specialised skills and knowledge within the sector, broadening access to skills development opportunities and encouraging ongoing professional development. The network focuses on technical training and certification for nursing homes, hospitals, homecare agencies and healthcare agencies. Website: www.lhpskillnet.ie