About This Course
The iSupport for Young People course will provide information and guidance to professionals and families on how to use iSupport for Young People to best support young people who help care for a family member with dementia. The course starts with a brief introduction to dementia and its impact on families, including young people. It will then introduce iSupport for Young People, explain how it was created its target audience and will then describe how it is structured (modules, sessions, exercises). It will then run through each of the five modules of iSupport for Young People, explaining their purpose and content:
Module 1: Introduction to Dementia
Module 2: Being a carer.
Module 3: Caring for me.
Module 4: Providing everyday care.
Module 5: Dealing with behaviour changes.
The course will conclude with an explanation on how the tool (iSupport for Young People) can be accessed and shared with organizations, professionals, and families.
What is the length of the course?
This course offers approximately one hour of teaching material. It is suggested that learners invest a further 2 hours of their time to get the most out of this course. The course offers 3 hours for Continuing Professional Development (CPD).
Why Study this course?
The iSupport for Young People course will provide information and guidance to professionals and families on how to use iSupport for Young People to best support young people who help care for a family member with dementia.
This course will:
- Raise awareness about iSupport for Young People
- Provide a detailed description of the content and structure of iSupport for Young People
- Promote and increase the take up of iSupport for Young People by organisations that support young people and families affected by dementia.
- This course is free and part-time.
Who is this Course suitable for?
Organisations and professionals (in the UK and also international – English speaking mainly) that work or have contact with families affected by dementia or with young people (between the ages of 10 and 17 approximately). Amongst these some are:
- Professionals linked to charities that work with people with dementia and carers.
- Professionals linked to charities that work with young people.
- Professional linked to charities that work supporting young carers.
- Secondary school teachers (e.g., those working in the pastoral care team).
This course is also suitable for any parents or adults who want to offer more support to these young people living in families affected by dementia.
Tutor
Dr Patricia Masterson Algar
Patricia is a health researcher interested in improving the lives of those affected by a neurological condition. Her research explores the impact that these conditions can have not only on the lives of those affected by them but also on the family as a whole. In 2017 Patricia and her colleagues completed a research project where they designed and evaluated a lay peer support intervention for stroke rehabilitation. Leading from that work Patricia was successful in attracting Welsh Government RCBC Wales post-doctoral fellowship funding. In her fellowship Patricia applied innovative approaches to map the experiences and identify the sources of support of young adults living in families affected by a neurological condition. Patricia has recently joined the Centre for Ageing and Dementia Research (CADR) where she will continue to develop research focussed on designing and evaluating interventions tailored to support young carers of people living with dementia. She is currently a co-investigator on a randomised controlled trial and feasibility study of the effects of an e-health intervention ‘iSupport’ for reducing distress of dementia carers, especially in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Patricia leads the work package focussed on adapting iSupport to meet the needs of young dementia carers.
Patricia completed a BSc and a Research Master’s degree in Marine Sciences before making a career change and training as an Occupational Therapist in 2009. Her interest in the evaluation and implementation of complex rehabilitation interventions led her to a PhD during which she carried out the process evaluation of the OTCH trial (Occupational Therapy intervention for residents with stroke in UK Care Homes) that investigated the impact of a targeted course of occupational therapy on people living in nursing and residential homes after suffering from a stroke. Patricia was also part of the team based at Bangor University that lead the process evaluation of the PD COMM trial which is a phase III multi centre randomised controlled trial that aims to evaluate the effectiveness of two approaches to speech and language therapy (SLT) compared to no SLT intervention for people with Parkinson’s disease.
Course Content
What will you study on this course?
The course will consist of five parts. Each part will be an independent video recording:
Part 1: Introduction
Part 2: Development, Content and Structure of iSupport for Young People
Part 3: Reviewing Modules 1, 2 and 3
Part 4: Reviewing Modules 4 and 5
Part 5: Accessing and Using iSupport for Young People
Learner Outcomes
1. To generate awareness of the impact that dementia in the family can have on young people.
2. To generate awareness of this group of young dementia carers.
3. To generate awareness on the caring role that young people living in families affected by dementia might have.
4. To understand the content of iSupport for Young People
5. To understand the purpose and target audience of iSupport for Young People
6. To understand how iSupport for Young People can be accessed and shared.
Course Cost
This course is Free
Entry Requirements
This course will be delivered through the medium of English. If you are not fluent in English: we do not require formal proof of your proficiency of English. However, as our Short Courses are University level courses, we strongly recommend that you should have a level at least equivalent to IELTS 6.5 to fully benefit.