Brownsville, TX - May 22 - 24, 2024

The NTG's evidence-informed Dementia Capable Care of Adults with Intellectual Disabilities and  Dementia is offered as a two-day "foundation" workshop or a three-day "Train-the-Trainer" workshop.  It is based on the NTG's evidence-informed national model Education and Training Curriculum on Dementia and Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities and is held at various locations across the United States and Canada.  This workshop is a partnership with the University of Texas at Houston's Health Science Centers and is funded by the Texas Council on Developmental Disabilities.

2 Day Foundation Workshop:  The workshop is appropriate for any staff with direct or ancillary care responsibilities of older adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in both disability-related, health care, and aging-related agencies.

Description:  The 2-day Foundation workshop covers the basics of providing dementia-capable care to aging adults with ID/DD who are at risk of or who have developed Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia.  The workshop begins with an overview of aging with intellectual disabilities, how the various forms of dementia present in adults with ID/DD, an overview of the NTG-Early Detection Screen for Dementia (a free tool used to identify changes that may signal the onset of dementia), and the steps to determining whether the changes seen in the adult are the result of an underlying and potentially treatable medical condition or an irreversible form of dementia such as Alzheimer's disease.  Day 2 covers how to identify the most common triggers of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) along with strategies for managing those behaviors and affordable modifications to the physical environment to support independence and functioning.  Strategies for advocating on behalf of the adult with dementia, end-of-life issues, and programatic and service challenges are also covered in the workshop.

3 Day "Train the Trainer" Workshop. The workshop is appropriate for any staff with direct or ancillary care responsibilities of older adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in both disability-related, health care, and aging-related agencies.

Description: This workshop is for those wishing to become an "NTG Affiliated Trainer."  The first two days of the workshop cover the topics outlined above in the 2 Day Basic Workshop. A third day is added and is devoted to understanding and delivering the full NTG Dementia Capable Care Curriculum. NTG Affiliated Trainers are authorized to use NTG branded and copyrighted training materials to train within their own organization or to conduct training for outside agencies and organizations. Affiliated trainers have access to greatly expanded topic modules, trainer manual, NTG continuing education webinars, and are mentored by NTG Master Trainers. Following completion of the workshop participants are required to successfully complete an online test of knowledge before they will be awarded a certificate of completion and receive NTG branded and copyrighted training materials.

This project is supported by the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities (TCDD) through a grant from the U.S. Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C., 20201. Grant number available by request. Grantees receiving government sponsorship are encouraged to express their findings and conclusions. Opinions do not necessarily represent official TCDD or ACL policy.