The Alzheimers/Dementia Course Credential for nursing professionals is an important step for anyone looking to pursue a career caring for individuals suffering from these diseases. By achieving the credential, nurses will be able to demonstrate their knowledge of both physical and psychological aspects of these diseases. This will equip them with the skills to properly meet the needs of their patients by being able to recognize the symptoms and know how to best to care for them.
The credential also focuses on the ethical obligations of the nurse when it comes to caring for those with Alzheimers and other forms of Dementia. This helps nurses to be aware of the complexities of the situation when they are caring for patients. It also provides them with the knowledge they need to ensure that their patients will be treated with the utmost respect and dignity.
Ultimately, the Alzheimers/Dementia Course Credential for nursing professionals is an invaluable credential that all nurses seeking to work with these patients should take. With it, they will be able to provide a higher level of care that is tailored to the individual and recognize the unique needs of those suffering from these diseases.
Alzheimer's and dementia training prepares clinicians to care for residents whose memory, judgment, and communication are changing. Long-term care facilities ask for it routinely, and it sits alongside your other nursing credentials on your Nursa profile.
What does an Alzheimer's and dementia course cover?
Most courses move from the disease itself to what a caregiver does about it.
- How Alzheimer's disease and other dementias progress, and how their symptoms differ.
- Communication approaches that work when a resident cannot follow or retain a conversation.
- Responding to agitation and resistance to care without reaching first for medication.
- Supporting daily activities, including eating, bathing, and dressing.
- Safety concerns specific to dementia, including wandering and elopement risk.
Who needs this training?
Dementia training applies to everyone working at the bedside:
- Certified nursing assistants
- Registered nurses
- Licensed practical nurses and licensed vocational nurses
Federal rules make dementia management part of required in-service training for nurse aides in nursing facilities, so a CNA in skilled nursing should expect to have it on file.
Where is it required?
Memory care units and assisted living communities treat Alzheimer's and dementia training as a baseline, and skilled nursing facilities build it into in-service requirements. States differ, some setting a minimum number of training hours and others prescribing content for staff assigned to dementia care.
How often do you need to renew it?
Certificates of completion often carry no expiration date, but the requirement recurs, since many states and facilities expect annual refresher training. Check a facility's in-service schedule rather than assuming one completion covers you indefinitely.
Add your dementia training to your Nursa profile
You need this credential on file to be considered for shifts at facilities that require it.
- Tap Menu in the top left of the Nursa app.
- Select Profile.
- Scroll to the Credentials section.
- Tap Add your Credential.
- Upload your document as a PDF, WORD, JPG, or PNG.
Sign up as a clinician if you do not have a profile yet.
