Dementia Training Australia (DTA) has seen a nationwide surge in people signing up for their dementia education programs since the start of 2024.
This rising interest is coming from diverse fields like banking, tourism, cruising and small businesses – showing a growing awareness of the need to better support Australians living with dementia.
One course that has been particularly popular is the “First Responders” program, which over 1,300 people have completed since its launch in November 2023. Personal care assistants and registered nurses from across the country have been among those enrolling.
The demand has been especially high in regional areas like Dubbo and Orange, which rank among the top locations for course sign-ups.
According to Dementia Training Australia Director Dr Isabelle Meyer, the increasing enrollment numbers reflect a positive shift towards prioritising dementia education more broadly. “Currently, 472,000 Australians are living with dementia, a figure set to increase to 800,000 by 2058. We’re excited to see such diverse sectors embracing our training programs, which reflects a shift towards prioritising dementia education more broadly,” she said.
“The figures tell us that people in front-line roles, from a significantly varied cross-section of the community, have decided to up-skill on their awareness of how best to deal with and interact with people living with dementia.”
DTA offers a wide range of free courses, as well as the ability to create customised training programs tailored to specific roles and needs. Their online Learning Pathway online tool guides users to the most relevant courses for their profession or business.
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The federal government has also tasked DTA with creating National Dementia Education and Training Standards, which will be a benchmark for the skills needed to provide quality dementia care and support nationwide. All of DTA’s courses align with these standards, set to be released in July.
Ritchelle is a Content Producer for Healthcare Channel, Australia’s premier resource of information for healthcare.
