Accompanying a person with Alzheimer’s disease is a journey that requires much more than good intentions. It is a deep commitment that demands skills, patience, and a nuanced understanding of a complex and evolving pathology. At Dynseo, we believe that to provide good support, one must first receive proper training. Becoming an expert, whether as a healthcare professional or a family caregiver, is not a destination but a continuous journey of learning. We wish to share with you our vision of this journey, shedding light on the training, certifications, and tools that can transform your daily support.
Before even discussing techniques or certifications, it is essential to lay solid foundations. Understanding Alzheimer’s disease is not simply knowing that it affects memory. It is grasping the profound nature of the changes it brings about, not only in the brain but also in behavior, emotions, and the perception of the world by the affected person.
Beyond Memory Loss: A Complex Disease
We often have a reductive image of a person who forgets their keys or the name of a loved one. The reality is infinitely more complex. Alzheimer’s disease is like a fog that gradually settles, not only on memories but also on language (aphasia), the ability to perform simple tasks (apraxia), and the recognition of objects or faces (agnosia).
Imagine that the world you once knew transforms each day into a labyrinth with shifting walls. This is somewhat what a person with this disease experiences. Reference points fade, usual logic no longer works, and this can generate profound anxiety, frustration, or even aggression. Understanding these mechanisms is key to not interpreting difficult behavior as provocation but as an expression of suffering or misunderstanding. This is the foundation of any serious training: substituting judgment with understanding.
The Importance of a Human and Empathetic Approach
Theoretical knowledge is essential, but it remains sterile without a deeply human approach. The person with Alzheimer’s remains a whole person, with their history, tastes, emotions, and dignity. Our role, as caregivers, is to preserve what constitutes their identity, even when the disease seems to erase it.
Empathy is not an abstract concept; it is a skill that can be learned and cultivated. It involves putting oneself in another’s shoes, trying to feel what they feel. When a person looks for the door to “go home” while they are in their own house, the response is not to contradict them outright but to understand the need for security and comfort behind this request. This is what we call the validation approach: entering their reality to soothe them rather than imposing ours. All quality training today emphasizes these non-pharmacological approaches, centered on the person and their well-being.
The Landscape of Available Training for Caregivers and Professionals
The need for training is now widely recognized, and the offerings have significantly expanded to meet the specific needs of each individual. Whether you are a child caring for a parent or a professional in a nursing home, there is a suitable path for you.
Training for Family Caregivers: An Essential Support
Being a family caregiver is a role often taken on without warning and without a manual. It is an emotional and physical marathon. Organizations like France Alzheimer offer free training for caregivers. These are essential as they not only allow for the acquisition of knowledge about the disease and best practices but also help break isolation. Interacting with others who are in the same situation is an invaluable source of support. These trainings cover very concrete themes: how to communicate, how to adapt the living environment, how to manage behavioral issues, and, crucially, how to take care of oneself to avoid burnout.
Professional Training Paths: From Nursing Assistant to Psychologist
For professionals, training is a requirement and a career lever. The path often begins with general diplomas such as the DEAES (State Diploma of Educational and Social Assistant) or the nursing assistant diploma. However, specialization is often necessary to work effectively with this population.
The training for Assistant in Gerontology (ASG) has become a reference. Lasting 140 hours, it is specifically designed for nursing assistants and medical-psychological assistants working with dependent elderly individuals. It deepens knowledge about Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders and trains in care techniques, communication, and adapted support. Other professionals, such as nurses, occupational therapists, or psychologists, also pursue university training (University Diplomas) to enhance their expertise.
Certifications: Validating and Recognizing Skills
Beyond diplomas, certifications allow for the validation of specific skills. They may focus on particular approaches such as the Montessori method adapted for seniors, Snoezelen (multisensory stimulation), or Humanitude. These certifications attest to precise know-how and are increasingly valued by institutions. They demonstrate a professional’s commitment to going beyond the basics and equipping themselves with concrete tools to improve the quality of life of residents.
Our Approach to Training: Combining Theory, Practice, and Technology
At Dynseo, we believe that technology is not an end in itself but a wonderful tool at the service of humanity. It can facilitate the work of caregivers, stimulate the abilities of residents, and, above all, recreate connections where the disease tends to isolate. That is why we have developed not only tools but also training that allows for their optimal and relevant use. Our approach aims to make technology accessible, intuitive, and meaningful.
Our Training Session: “Stimulating and Creating Connections”
We have designed a training specifically focused on using our cognitive game programs as support for the helping relationship. Titled “Stimulating and Creating Connections with Dynseo Games”, this session goes well beyond a simple technical manual. Our goal is to give you the keys to transform a game moment into a true therapeutic and relational workshop.
We address essential points:
- Choosing the right game at the right time: Not all games are equal depending on the mood, fatigue, or preserved abilities of the person. We teach you to assess the situation to propose an activity that will be a source of pleasure and success, not frustration.
- Adapting the facilitation: How to present the game? How to encourage without infantilizing? How to manage failure? We provide you with positive facilitation techniques so that the session is a moment of sharing and appreciation.
- Using the game as a mediator: The game becomes a pretext for exchanging, evoking memories, and laughing together. It is a bridge between the caregiver and the cared-for, allowing for the construction of a trusting relationship outside the strict framework of care.
This training is designed to be very practical, with situational exercises and experience sharing, so that each participant leaves with directly applicable tools.
SCARLETT: More than a Game, a Relational Bridge
Our memory game program on tablet, SCARLETT, is at the heart of this approach. We envisioned it not as a simple pastime but as a true mediation tool. For a person with Alzheimer’s, confronting cognitive difficulties can be anxiety-inducing. SCARLETT offers hundreds of cultural and fun games, with adjustable difficulty levels, so that everyone can find pleasure and a sense of accomplishment.
In a facilitation session, SCARLETT becomes an extraordinary support. A game about French expressions can spark a discussion about childhood memories. A quiz on capitals can bring back the story of a trip. The facilitator or caregiver is no longer just the one who “makes them do” an exercise; they become a play partner, a confidant. The tablet is no longer a cold screen but the center of a warm and shared moment.
MY DICTIONARY: Giving Voice Back to Those Who Have Lost It
One of the most challenging aspects of the disease is the progressive loss of language. Aphasia traps the person in a frustrating silence, preventing them from expressing their most basic needs: “I’m thirsty,” “I’m in pain,” “I’m cold.” To address this issue, we created MY DICTIONARY. It is a simple application based on images and pictograms categorized (food, emotions, body, clothing…).
In just a few clicks, the person can show the image corresponding to their need. It is a wonderful tool for restoring communication and autonomy. For the caregiver, it is a means of quickly and accurately understanding a request, thus avoiding crisis situations related to misunderstanding. Learning to use MY DICTIONARY is learning to restore a bit of control and dignity to a person who feels dispossessed of themselves.
Key Skills to Develop to Support a Person with Alzheimer’s
Becoming an expert means mastering a set of skills that go far beyond knowledge of the disease. It involves developing specific know-how and interpersonal skills, sharpened by training and experience.
Non-Verbal Communication: Listening with the Eyes
When words are lacking, the body speaks. A large part of communication with a person with advanced Alzheimer’s occurs through non-verbal means. Learning to decipher postures, facial expressions, and gestures is fundamental. Averted eyes may signify anxiety, hands fiddling with clothing may indicate discomfort.
Conversely, our own non-verbal communication has an immense impact. A smile, gentle eye contact, a slow and reassuring gesture, a calm tone of voice can soothe a tense situation in seconds. Training must necessarily include a section on this infra-verbal communication, which is the universal language of emotion.
Managing Behavioral Issues: Defusing Without Confronting
Agitation, wandering, aggression, or apathy are common symptoms of the disease. They are almost always manifestations of an unmet need, pain, fear, or frustration. The key skill is learning to play the role of detective: what is the cause of this behavior?
Confrontation is always counterproductive. One must learn diversion techniques, validation, and soothing communication. If a person is agitated, taking them to a quiet place, offering them a warm drink, or playing music they like can be much more effective than ordering them to calm down. Managing these issues means knowing how to defuse the bomb before it explodes, with creativity and kindness.
Cognitive Stimulation: Maintaining the Garden of the Mind
Cognitive stimulation does not aim to cure or make one “relearn” what has been forgotten. Its goal is more humble and realistic: to maintain remaining abilities, slow decline, and, above all, provide moments of pleasure and appreciation. It is a bit like maintaining a garden. One cannot prevent autumn from coming, but one can continue to care for the plants that are still there, watering them and enjoying their beauty.
Our tools like SCARLETT fully fit into this approach. Expertise consists of knowing how to propose adapted activities that stimulate without causing failure. This can be a tablet game, but also gardening, singing, reading the newspaper, or simply folding laundry together. The important thing is to keep the person connected to the world and to themselves.
Towards Recognized Expertise: The Importance of Continuing Education
Expertise in Alzheimer’s is never acquired once and for all. It is a dynamic process that requires constant questioning and learning.
The Disease Evolves, Our Knowledge Does Too
Research on Alzheimer’s disease is constantly progressing. New discoveries about its mechanisms, new therapeutic approaches (medicated or not), and new technologies emerge regularly. A professional or caregiver who wishes to remain an expert must engage in active monitoring, reading, participating in conferences, and following refresher training. What was considered good practice ten years ago may be obsolete today.
Adapting to Each Individual: Tailored Expertise
The greatest truth about Alzheimer’s disease is that there is not one, but multiple Alzheimer’s diseases. Each person is unique, with their life journey, personality, and a progression of the disease that is their own. True expertise does not lie in the rigid application of protocols but in the ability to observe, understand, and adapt support to a specific person at a given moment. Training provides the general framework; experience and emotional intelligence allow for personalization.
Joining a Community of Practice
Finally, no one can become an expert alone in their corner. Caregiving is a profession and a role that can be exhausting. Sharing difficulties, successes, and questions with peers is essential for longevity. Whether in the context of support groups for caregivers or practice analysis meetings for professionals, being part of a community allows for reflection, finding new solutions, and feeling supported. It is also in this exchange that know-how is transmitted and collective expertise grows.
In conclusion, the path to becoming an expert in supporting individuals with Alzheimer’s disease is demanding but deeply rewarding. It rests on an inseparable triptych: knowledge (acquired through training), skills (developed through practice), and humanity (nurtured by empathy). At Dynseo, we are proud to contribute to this journey by offering you tools and training that we hope will help you be not only more effective but also more serene and fulfilled in your essential role as a caregiver.
As part of the specialization in Alzheimer’s, it is essential to understand the different approaches to stimulate the memory of elderly individuals. A relevant article on this subject is Memory Games for Seniors: Fun Exercises to Stimulate Their Brain. This article explores playful methods to strengthen seniors’ memory, which can be particularly beneficial for professionals specializing in Alzheimer’s. By integrating these exercises into their practice, specialists can offer more comprehensive and tailored interventions to meet the cognitive needs of those affected by this disease.
