Empowering Clinicians to Educate and Support Dementia Caregivers

Over 11 million unpaid caregivers in the U.S. currently care for individuals living with dementia, often without adequate training or guidance from rehabilitation professionals—contributing to caregiver burnout, insufficient care, and poor client outcomes. Equipping therapists with the skills to educate caregivers can reduce hospitalization, improve safety and function, enhance continuity of care, and support stronger therapeutic outcomes, while failure to do so may lead to increased hospitalization readmissions and diminished quality of life.Therapists are now called not only to treat the individual, but to empower the caregiver—transforming the home into a place of function, dignity, and connection.

This course will provide practical, evidence-based strategies to support caregiver education across all stages of dementia, with tools that can be applied immediately. Participants will learn through demonstration, discussion, and case-based examples, returning to their clinical settings with actionable techniques to enhance caregiver confidence, reduce safety risks, and promote improved daily participation for individuals with dementia.

Target Audience: Physical Therapists, Physical Therapist Assistants, Occupational Therapists, Occupational Therapy Assistants, Speech-Language Pathologists

Highlights

• Improve your understanding of dementia-related cognitive, behavioral, and functional changes to enhance your clinical practice and better inform caregiver education
• Develop skills to educate and collaborate with caregivers, empowering them to support daily function, safety, and communication for individuals with dementia