Sweden is one among few countries that has put in place a solid policy to support older people and enable them to live a normal life at home and enjoy their remaining years for as long as possible. It comes as no surprise that usually it is the ones who need palliative care that often move into nursing homes.
In dementia care, it is important that the succession of care is adjusted to the needs of people with dementia and their formal and informal caregivers throughout the course of the disease. At present, approximately 80% of senior patients in nursing homes as well as those receiving home care have been found to have some form of dementia or other related cognitive impairment. Caregivers in-charge of providing palliative care whether at a person’s home or in an elderly care institution are facing bigger challenges to ensure quality care is provided on a daily basis.
To combat this difficulty, Sweden has founded some of the most advanced dementia care learning programs for care providers. The country was among the pioneers in the world to develop dementia care learning programs for caregivers that are based on a palliative care approach. Twenty-five years ago, Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden has herself founded a dementia care knowledge center, the Stiftelsen Silviahemmet, after a personal caregiving experience. This same foundation later initiated the creation of Swedish Dementia Center. These institutions together with other education partners, were able to offer certification programs for nursing homes, elderly care facilities, home care providers and hospitals to educate their teams as well as e-learning programs.
These courses and training programs are essential to help care organizations address some of the most basic challenges in dementia palliative care. Because of the affordable and scalable approach of e-learning programs, Sweden’s dementia care methodology based on Silviahemmet philosophy is now adapted and made available for the international market by Swedish Care International. Consultations in architecture and design of elderly care, care procedures and routines, management and leadership questions are also easily accessible for nursing home managers worldwide from experts at Swedish Care International.
And to prepare caregivers to real life scenario, learners of e-learning programs are exposed to wide number of real – life cases all throughout the process. This hands-on approach helps learners gain a deeper understanding and empathy for the experience of the person living with dementia. Collaboration with top-notch designers also help in developing attractive user interface and producing highly realistic virtual personas that learners can empathize from and learn more about how dementia affects not only the person but also others who are involved in the care.
Following consistent research and reliable delivery in dementia and end of life care practices, Sweden has developed a reputation for best-in-class standing when it comes to high-quality dementia care that is ready to be shared globally. To enable the global knowledge exchange and dementia awareness, Swedish Care International invites dementia care leaders to participate at the virtual event Dementia Forum X on May 25-27.
