Errorless Learning and Other Effective Interventions for People Living with Dementia

Course Description: Treatment for the functional deficits associated with dementia should address the specific needs and interests of the individual.  Such treatments can be most effective when utilizing a strength-based approach and incorporating evidence-based strategies to compensate for losses of explicit (declarative) memory.  Research has supported the fact that procedural (non-declarative) memory may remain relatively intact until the late stages of dementia.  Therapists have subsequently found errorless learning and other related interventions to be most effective for teaching skills for safety and function.  This course will review factors to consider when planning and implementing the most optimal therapies to improve safety and functions for people living with dementia.  Supporting research and protocols will be shared for skilled interventions utilizing external memory aids, Errorless Learning, Vanishing Cues, Spaced Retrieval training and Montessori approaches.  Applications will be shared throughout the course to help the learner envision how to effectively use these approaches in their therapeutic setting.