The Queensland DTSC’s current work includes:
- Professional Development Seminars/Workshops on contemporary topics in dementia care
- Undergraduate and Postgraduate courses in dementia care through our university partners
- Online dementia education and related resources for health professionals
The Queensland DTSC is also involved in several projects testing the impact of staff education and leadership interventions on building sustainable and highly skilled dementia care workforces.
Workforce Development
This project focuses on the scoping and development of various programs for sustainable dementia specific education in the workplace. Based around four programs, our workforce development project will encourage leadership in dementia education, confidence in competency, and skill development across all areas of dementia care.
Clinical Workshops
Our clinical workshops deliver evidence based programs that not only raise awareness of key issues in dementia care, but also increase the skills in using proven tools and intervention techniques in caring for people with dementia and their families. Delivered by academic and industry experts, the workshops cover a wide range of multidisciplinary topics.
Guest Lectures
We deliver of a series of evidence-based guest lectures that increase awareness of dementia related research/innovations, and the subsequent implications of these for dementia care policies and practices. The guest lectures also provide monthly networking and professional development opportunities for health professionals. Guest lectures are video conferenced to a number of rural and regional areas across Queensland and are also available to view on the National DTSC website under eLectures.
Rural and Remote Training and Education
This program has been designed to develop and increase rural and remote health professional’s knowledge of dementia care through tailored programs consisting of lectures, workshops, forums and individual in- service education programs. This will ensure consistent, equitable and sustainable service delivery for the particular needs of the rural and remote areas of Queensland.
Curriculum and Resource Development
This initiative is designed to create applicable curriculum and resources for multidisciplinary use by tertiary qualified health professionals and students. This project will initially focus on three areas, which are; clinical case studies, sexuality and dementia, and tailoring various educational resources for specific allied health fields.
Professional Development Short Courses
Palliation in Dementia: This online course has been designed to build the contemporary knowledge and skills of health professionals involved in the care of people with severe dementia and their families. In particular, the content of this course focuses on the highly specialised care needs of people with severe dementia and their families and uses innovative learning activities to enhance your evidence-based knowledge and clinical skills in this area. Click here to find out more.
National Priority Area Coordination
The findings from this project will be used to inform future DTSC activities in this area at a national level.
National Priority Area’s which have been identified for the Queensland DTSC are;
- Behavioural and psychological symptoms associated with dementia: Training current and future health professionals to effectively identify and respond to ‘unmet needs’ experienced by people with dementia; and
- Allied Health Professionals: Specialised dementia education and training for allied health professionals, with a focus on social workers, occupational therapists and diversional therapists.
Veterans (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Dementia)
The aim of this project is to determine what learning/teaching resources are required to provide health professionals with the necessary skills, attributes and knowledge to deliver care and services to enhance the quality of life for veterans living with dementia and post traumatic stress disorder and their families.
Sexualities and Dementia – “Train the Trainer” program
This project builds on Stage 1 of the Sexualities and Dementia – Education Resource for Health Professionals project developed by the QLD DTSC in 2012/13.
Stage 2 of the project will rollout the Sexualities and Dementia “Train the Trainer” program across Australia via face to face sessions in each state. This rollout will be supported by the Sexualities and Dementia Education Resource and the Sexuality Assessment Tool (SexAT) developed by the Dementia Collaborative Research Centres.
