Approximately 16 million adult family caregivers care for someone who has Alzheimer's disease or other dementia. Aging service providers with community facing dementia training and education programs will find it's a win/win solution.

Our recent blogs have covered the nuts and bolts of creating quality dementia care training programs. Now let's dig into the benefits of dementia training and education that is also community facing. 

What exactly does community facing mean? 

In terms of aging and dementia training, a community facing program is outreach-focused, facilitating education beyond the walls of your own organization. An example of a community facing program integrates the essential components of practical staff training and then goes a few steps further. The program includes robust pillars of family education, community outreach, and stakeholder engagement.  

Community Facing Program Reaches the Critical Needs of Dementia Education to the broader neighborhood, town, or city where the organization resides. 

Community Facing Education Programs are Gateways to Impactful Conversations. 

Aging services providers who utilize community facing dementia training and education programs benefit in the following key areas:

• Displays your organization's support of dementia-friendly initiatives

• Builds more robust relationships with families, stakeholders, and referral contacts

• Showcases your organization as taking the lead in quality dementia training

• Contributes to the public health needs for broader dementia awareness and understanding across all population groups

As the prevalence of dementia continues to climb at rates outpacing educational resources and support services, community facing education is a strong value-add that marketing, business development, and operations should be laser-focused.  

I'm a big believer in collaborations and have witnessed the success of such community facing programs here in Fort Worth, Texas. Proudly an age-friendly, dementia-friendly, blue zones certified, retirement-certified city, the achievements of such projects are due to solid collaborative efforts from stakeholders across the landscape. Public and private partnerships abound in Fort Worth and surrounding areas; these relationships continue to shift the pendulum in new and exciting projects, programs, and initiatives to address the health and well-being of the aging population, especially for people living with dementia and those who care for and serve them. 

Lastly, I'll touch on another key point; Readiness.  

Quality, community facing dementia training programs are complete packages when delivered. Aging service providers do not have the time or resources to devote to "finishing" a program. It must be ready to go with all the resources in an easy-to-deliver format. No fluff; the right tools, with the applications for each component clearly laid out. If a program can't check these boxes, move on to another!

Dementia care training that hits the mark with a strong community facing component, the domino effect for your organization and those you serve will be amazing! 

Learn about AGE-u-cate's Dementia Care Community Facing Programs - Dementia Live, Compassionate Touch and Reading2Connect 

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