Dementia Awareness and Skill Development Training

By Sue Hinds, Head of Training

At Good Company, our aim is simple. We want to create a dementia-welcoming community where people can find practical help, friendly groups and one to one support as they grow older. This approach shapes everything we do, from how we support members to how we train and encourage our staff and volunteers.

Reflections on Our July Training Session

It is always a pleasure to visit the team at Good Company. These sessions are a real highlight for me. I usually come down six times a year. I arrive around midday on Thursday to run a carer support session in the afternoon. On Friday, I deliver a full day of training for staff and volunteers before heading home to Gloucestershire. Even with the early Thursday trains and late Friday returns, I always look forward to this work.

The July training session was a great example of what person centred care looks like at Good Company. We had a brilliant mix of people in the room. Some were long standing team members, others were returning volunteers, and some were brand new, stepping into roles as concierges, hosts or volunteers.

Over the years, our carer sessions have covered many useful topics. These have included Teepa Snow’s Gem States, how to see the world through the eyes of someone living with dementia, and how carers can look after their own wellbeing.

In the future, we hope to offer sessions on medication and other topics that come up from the team or from our LEAP panel. LEAP stands for Lived Experience Advisory Panel. It is a group of people with personal experience of ageing, caring or living with dementia, who help us decide what matters most. We always listen and respond to the needs of the people around us.

Keeping Training Accessible, Relaxed and Useful

We know that people often come to these sessions in their own time. That is why we keep the pace relaxed and the space welcoming. There are no homework tasks. The aim is to create a friendly and practical day where people can think, talk and learn together. There is always time for questions and conversation.

If you have been thinking about coming along but feel unsure, please know that you are very welcome. These sessions are for anyone who wants to understand more about dementia and how to offer support. Some people come back after a year or two to refresh their learning or because the content has changed. Everyone brings something different, and everyone learns something new.

A Realistic and Person Centred Approach

Dementia support has changed a lot in recent years. We now understand much more about how to help people and families in a thoughtful and respectful way. But we also know that training needs to be realistic. If we tried to cover everything, we would need about eight full days per person. And that does not even include the required training on safety, health and other important topics.

We also know that the same approach does not work for everyone. That is why we use a simple, practical method that focuses on what really helps in day to day roles. Our training needs review helps us keep the focus on things like good communication, empathy and emotional support. These are often more useful than specialist subjects like memory tests or end of life care.

Our training is based on a person centred approach. We use what has been proven to work and always aim to offer real, useful learning.

A Mix of Learning That Works for Everyone

One of the things I enjoy most is finding ways to suit different learning styles. I always hope that people leave with something that makes sense to them, something they can use, or something that makes them think. We often call these lightbulb moments.

To help people connect what they learn to real life, we use something called the Adult Experiential Learning Cycle. This means people learn by doing, thinking, understanding and practising.

Experience it (Do it) We use simple hands-on activities to give people an idea of what it might feel like to live with dementia. For example, we might use gloves to make it harder to grip things, or special glasses to show how eyesight can change.

Reflect on it (Think about it) After trying the activity, we talk about how it felt, what was tricky, and what stood out. We do this together as a group and take time to think it through. This helps people understand the emotional and practical side of what they just experienced.

Learn about it (Understand the reason) Next, I will explain what was behind the activity. This might include how the brain changes over time, why someone might behave in a certain way, or how stress or frustration can show up. This helps people link their experience to real knowledge.

Try it out (Practise it) Finally, we practise using what we have learned. This might mean trying new ways to speak or listen. It could be responding in a calm and kind way. This part of the training is where knowledge turns into real, useful skills.

Looking Ahead

We are always working to improve our training. We want it to stay relevant, practical and welcoming. If you have any ideas or feedback, we would love to hear them.

Whether you are a staff member, volunteer, carer or community partner, you are part of this journey. Your voice helps us make it better for everyone.

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Sue Hinds has been part of The Good Company People’s specialist advisory team since the very beginning. She is an HCPC registered Speech and Language Therapist with specialist expertise in adult mental health and dementia. Sue also leads her own organisation, Enriched Communication, which you can find out more about here.