Training Requirements for Social Workers Working with Dementia Patients

As a minimum, training for social workers should include:

• An overview of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, including an overview of normal versus abnormal aging and a description of common problems associated with these diseases.
  
• Common feelings and behaviors experienced by the dementia patient. An in-depth discussion of interventions to manage these feelings and behaviors should be provided.
  
• Common feelings of family members. Methods to support the family including counseling techniques and the development and implementation of support groups should be provided.
  
• Support for family (informal), professional, and paraprofessional dementia patient caregivers, including interventions to manage burnout and the frustration resulting from working with the dementia patient.
  
• An overview of community and financial resources (such as Medicaid and Medicare) available to dementia patients and a discussion of care alternatives - respite care, day care, hospice and institutionalization.
  
• Anticipation of and preparation for legal problems, including wills, trusts, guardianships, conservatorships, and powers of attorney.
  

Compiled by the Lincoln/Greater Nebraska Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association, 1999.