Dementia is on the rise and, as a result, the aged care workforce has an increasing need for up-to-date information on how to care for people living with dementia. While dementia research continues to mushroom, any research findings that have practical implications also need to be passed on to those at the coalface of dementia care as quickly as possible. This Supplement brings together a number of papers that have addressed various perspectives on dementia education, training and knowledge transfer in the U.S.A., U.K. and Australia.

There is now widespread concern about the inadequate care and support provided to people with dementia from diagnosis to death. It is acknowledged that while there is a range of effective ways to care for and support people with dementia and their families from diagnosis to death, these have yet to become integral to practice. In England, for example, the National Dementia Strategy seeks to transform the quality of dementia care. One of the key components to transforming the quality of care is to ensure we have an informed and effective workforce. We argue here that in order to transform the quality of care we need to distinguish between the aims of training and education. Whilst there is a place for skills-based workplace training, Higher Education in dementia studies has a key role to play in the provision of specialist knowledge and skills in dementia care emphasizing as it does the development of critical thinking, reflection and action. In this paper we describe dementia studies at Bradford University available at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. We outline their aims and learning outcomes, curricula, approach to teaching, learning and assessment. We describe the nature of students who study with us, noting their fit with the Higher Education Funding Council in England's agenda for widening participation in higher education. Higher Education in dementia studies has a unique role to play in equipping practitioners and professionals with the information, skills and attitudes to realize the potential for quality of life for people with dementia and their families.

Background: In the next decades of the twenty-first century, the global aging of populations will challenge every nation's ability to provide leadership by qualified health professionals to reshape and improve health care delivery systems. The challenge for educators is to design and deliver courses that will give students the knowledge and skills they need to fill that leadership role confidently in dementia care services. This paper explores the ways in which a curriculum can develop graduates who are ready to become leaders in shaping their industry.

Method: The Master of Health Science – Aged Services (MHSAS) program at Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia is applied as a case study to describe the process by which the concept of leadership is applied as the key driver in curriculum development, teaching practices and learning outcomes.

Results: Evaluation instruments employed in a variety of purposes including teaching, curriculum planning and unit appraisal are discussed. Challenges for the future are proposed including the need for postgraduate programs in dementia to seek stronger national and international benchmarks and associations with other educational institutions to promote leadership and a vision of what is possible and desirable in dementia care provision.

Conclusions: In the twenty-first century, effective service provision in the aged health care sector will require postgraduate curricula that equip students for dementia care leadership. The MHSAS program provides an established template for such curricula.

In the U.S.A., direct care workers and licensed practical nurses are the professionals who provide the most hands-on care to people with dementia in nursing homes and residential care facilities – yet they do not receive adequate training in dementia care. Dementia care training needs to be universal with all disciplines at all levels of care. Even though there is variability on recommended hours and content, most studies emphasize the importance of dementia care training as a distinct component of required training for any professional or paraprofessional working in long-term care. In 2005, the Alzheimer's Association launched its Quality Care Campaign to improve dementia care through state and federal advocacy; consumer education and empowerment; and staff training. This paper describes the effectiveness of Alzheimer's Association training as measured by knowledge gained and providers' intention to change their behavior immediately after attending the training.

Overall, findings indicated that the participants responded positively to evidence-based training in dementia care that emphasized the importance of (i) leadership, (ii) team communication and collaboration, (iii) support and empowerment of direct care staff, (iv) awareness and practice of specific dementia care issues, (v) resident and family involvement in care, and (vi) professional self-care.

Background: This review presents an overview of the published literature on the effectiveness of continuing professional education (CPE), which includes continuing medical education (CME) of different health care professionals in healthcare settings, for improving patient management and patient outcomes. This review summarizes key articles published on the subject, including those relating to dementia care.

Methods: A literature search was carried out using the National Library of Medicine's PubMed database, Cochrane database and Eric databases.

Results: Studies on CPE generally provide conflicting evidence on their effectiveness in bringing about a change in professional practices and healthcare outcomes. However interactive, multifaceted interventions, and interventions with repeated inputs appear more effective in bringing about positive changes than traditional non-interactive techniques. There are relatively few studies specifically concerning CPE and dementia care.

Conclusion: This review shows that CPE in dementia care needs to be targeted carefully. Much can be learnt from examining education approaches in the wider professional and medical education literature.

This paper presents a strategy for training primary care physicians in the identification, diagnosis and management of Alzheimer's disease and related disorders. The strategy uses evidence-based practice guidelines to establish quality benchmarks and then provides training and other interventions to improve the quality of care received by these patients. The three projects described in this paper assumed that training of primary care physicians alone would not be sufficient to achieve the quality benchmarks derived from guidelines. The projects used creative training strategies supplemented by provider “tool kits”, provider checklists, educational detailing, and endorsement from organizational leadership to reinforce what the primary care providers learned in educational sessions. Each project also implemented a system of dementia care management to “wrap around” traditional primary care to ensure that quality benchmarks would be achieved. Outcomes of two completed studies support the premise that it is possible to improve quality of dementia care through physician education that occurs in association with a coordinated system of dementia care management and in collaboration with community agencies to access guideline-recommended social services.

Dementia has been identified as a national health priority in Australia. National programs in the areas of research, education and training have been established. The Dementia Care Skills for Aged Care Workers program is a three-year project that commenced in 2006. It has the goal of providing training in the essentials of dementia care to 17,000 staff of aged care services across Australia. Successful completion of the training results in the award of a nationally recognized qualification. Although the delivery of the training has been difficult in some areas – because of the long distances to be covered by trainers and trainees, a wide range of cultural backgrounds, and difficulties in finding staff to cover for people attending the training – the seven training organizations providing this training are on target to meet the goal. The project is being evaluated independently. The anecdotal reports available to date strongly suggest that the training is being well received and is making a difference to practice.

A surprisingly large proportion of attendees (9%) have been registered nurses, which demonstrates the need among this group of staff for training in the care of people with dementia.

Nursing a person with dementia in a ward setting can be stressful and a challenge for staff and patients alike. Healthcare assistants are identified as requiring a specific training program. They form part of the front-line workforce and yet have the least access to training but often most contact with patients. The program in this study focused on person-centered care and used six self-study workbooks. Experienced registered nurses are trained to be facilitators of 12 group discussions in the ward setting. The training program viewed the facilitator as playing a key role in empowering the healthcare assistant but also in promoting reflective practice. The outcomes to date have been positive and showed a development in confidence and competence of the healthcare assistants involved.

Background: There is growing evidence that a palliative approach to care provision for people with dementia in residential aged care facilities improves their quality of life and provides support for family members. Despite the development of Guidelines for a Palliative Approach in Residential Aged Care (hereafter the Guidelines), there is limited evidence that these have been adopted. To date, little research has been undertaken to explore processes which could assist aged care staff to develop their practice consistent with the intent of the Guidelines.

Methods: This project utilized an action research method, through which staff members from a residential dementia special care unit (SCU) undertook an investigation into their practice to explore how they could develop strategies to support a palliative approach to care provision. A key focus was related to addressing the information needs of family members of residents on the SCU.

Results: Aged care staff involved in this project had little understanding of available evidence that could assist them to better support family members, including the existence of the Guidelines. Through their engagement in successive action research cycles, these staff accessed evidence-based resources and developed strategies to address the information needs of family members.

Conclusions: When provided with an opportunity to reflect on and critique their practice, aged care staff were better positioned to engage with evidence concerning a palliative approach and to execute change in their practice to improve care provision for family members.

Background: Enabling the families and carers of people with dementia to access information, support and opportunities for education and training is critical to ensuring that both the carer and person with dementia maintain their quality of life. The Dementia Caring Pilot Project trialed an innovative approach to providing this support through offering tailored activities aimed at enhancing and developing a range of skills, both dementia-specific and life oriented.

Method: Alzheimer's Australia worked closely with Commonwealth Carer Respite Centres (CCRCs) across Australia to identify potential participants, and then deliver skills enhancement activities that were suited to their individual needs.

Results: Nationally, 47 CCRCs participated in the Project and 324 skills enhancement activities were provided to over 1000 participants.

Conclusions: The Project was successful in giving the families and carers of people with dementia the opportunity to express the need for the capabilities they wished to enhance, and to have the opportunity of a flexible service response.

There is a gap between the knowledge obtained in dementia research and the practical use of it. This review examines the concept of knowledge translation (KT) and the process of translating research into practice in the field of dementia. KT in dementia practice involves key players including researchers, educators, clinicians, policy-makers, the general public and consumers who act within a multidimensional network, disseminating findings widely to effect changes in community awareness, clinical practice and health policy. Challenges include the volume of dementia research; difficulties in determining who is responsible for KT; the problems of premature KT; the lack of resources to perform KT; the paucity of research about effective KT strategies; and the characteristics of the dementia care workforce. Key features of effective KT include a simple compelling message; use of interpersonal contact and roles; a practical framework with an emphasis on “know-how”; and the provision of resources and support. More effective dementia KT will require a commitment by key players to engage in the process, a better understanding of effective KT strategies, adequate resources, and judicious selection of appropriate evidence-based information.