Education as a public health intervention: The role of education in supporting community, carers, family and health professionals to improve care for persons with dementia – learnings from the educational offerings of the Wicking Dementia and Research Education Centre.
| Friday, March 22, 2019 |
| 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM |
| Grand Ballroom 2 |
Overview
Keynote Address - Fran McInerny
Presenter
Fran McInerny
Education as a public health intervention: The role of education in supporting community, carers, family and health professionals to improve care for persons with dementia – learnings from the educational offerings of the Wicking Dementia and Research Education Centre.
4:00 PM - 5:00 PMAbstract
Dementia has been described by the World Health Organization as a major public health priority of the 21st Century. Owing to its strong association with ageing and in line with demographic trends, the prevalence of dementia globally is on the rise, expected to more than double by 2050, particularly in lower-to-middle income countries which are experiencing an increase in growth and consequent longevity.
The needs of people living with dementia and those who live with and care for them are complex and varied. Knowledge of dementia has been shown to be patchy and uneven; the impact of lack of understanding on the experience of this syndrome arguably contributing to gaps in care and quality of life for people living with dementia along with other consequences such as caregiver burden and associated health risks.
The Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre responded to this public health imperative in 2012 by developing the first elements of its suite of educational offerings: the Associate Degree (later Bachelor) of Dementia Care and the Understanding Dementia Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). These courses have since been added to by a second MOOC entitled Preventing Dementia in 2016, and an International Masters of Dementia is currently under construction.
This address explores some of the underpinnings and impacts of these courses with respect to uptake, completion, knowledge enhancement, and consumer responses more broadly. Developments around measuring dementia literacy and the impact of Wicking’s educational offerings on dementia care will also be explored.
The needs of people living with dementia and those who live with and care for them are complex and varied. Knowledge of dementia has been shown to be patchy and uneven; the impact of lack of understanding on the experience of this syndrome arguably contributing to gaps in care and quality of life for people living with dementia along with other consequences such as caregiver burden and associated health risks.
The Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre responded to this public health imperative in 2012 by developing the first elements of its suite of educational offerings: the Associate Degree (later Bachelor) of Dementia Care and the Understanding Dementia Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). These courses have since been added to by a second MOOC entitled Preventing Dementia in 2016, and an International Masters of Dementia is currently under construction.
This address explores some of the underpinnings and impacts of these courses with respect to uptake, completion, knowledge enhancement, and consumer responses more broadly. Developments around measuring dementia literacy and the impact of Wicking’s educational offerings on dementia care will also be explored.
Biography
Fran McInerney is Professor of Dementia Studies and Education at the Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre at the University of Tasmania, a position she has occupied since 2014. Prior to that, from 2007 she was Assoc. Professor/Professor of Aged Care at the Australian Catholic University (Victoria), in joint appointments with Catholic Homes and Mercy Health. She is a registered nurse with post-graduate qualifications in education, applied science, sociology and public health. She has been a board member of Palliative Care Australia and Alzheimer’s Australia (Victoria); more recently she was a Councilor with Palliative Care Tasmania.
Prof. McInerney’s background informs her strong profile in the fields of aged and palliative care, with a specific focus on the needs of people living with dementia. Prof. McInerney consulted closely on the University of Tasmania’s highly successful Understanding Dementia Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) and Bachelor of Dementia Care, and she has acted in a leadership capacity in both these courses since commencing her formal role with Wicking. Her research is focused around dementia care and dementia literacy; exploring how much people know about dementia and how they navigate the health system to meet their dementia-related needs.
Session Chairs
Wendy McKenzie
Conference committee
Student Volunteers
Sarah Pearson
University of Melbourne
Ashlee Withers
University of Tasmania
