Listen up: A carers communication toolkit
About the study day
This interactive study day is designed to strengthen the communication skills of those supporting people living with dementia. Participants will build on their existing strengths while exploring practical approaches to enhance communication, support person-centred care, and improve quality of life for both the individual receiving support and the carer.
What you will learn:
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
- Understand common barriers to communication
- Recognise that behaviour is often a form of communication
- Describe the five levels of resistance, differentiate between them, and provide examples of each
- Describe the five SMART principles, provide examples of each, and explain how they work together to support positive outcomes for people living with dementia
- Recognise indicators of co-operation and demonstrate practical ways to assess these in practice
- Identify ways to enhance the quality of life of the people they support, and reflect on how these principles can be applied in their own practice
Who is this study day for:
For professionals who support people living with dementia across a range of health and social care contexts.
This may include:
- Care home staff
- Care at home staff
- Nurses
- Allied health professionals
- Dementia practitioners
- Social workers
- Activity coordinators
- Team leaders and managers
- Housing providers
- Community support staff
- Students and educators
Study day details:
- Date: 15 October 2026
- Time: 9.30am – 3.30pm
- Venue: Brain Health Learning Centre, Alzheimer Scotland National Centre, 69 North Gyle Terrace, Edinburgh, EH12 8JY
- Number of places: 20
- Cost: £125.00
Trainer: Cheryl Henderson
Cheryl is a registered nurse with over 30 years’ experience in Scotland’s care home sector. After completing her nurse training in the West Midlands, Cheryl headed north and began her care home journey, starting as a part-time Staff Nurse, progressing to Home Manager, and ultimately stepping into her dream role as Education and Dementia Co-ordinator with Elder Homes, Edinburgh.
She is passionate about helping people living with dementia and other long-term conditions (and the people who support them) to feel confident, informed, and equipped to live as well as possible.
Cheryl contributes to a range of research projects through ENRICH Scotland and co-chairs the Care Home Innovation Partnership (CHIP).
Registration and Payment Options
When registering for the study day, you can choose between two payment options to suit your needs:
Pay Now
Secure your place immediately by paying online at the time of booking. Payment can be made using a debit or credit card or PayPal.
You will receive a confirmation email and receipt straight away.
This is the quickest way to guarantee your place.
Pay by Invoice
Select this option if your organisation will be covering the cost. You will be asked to provide invoicing details during registration (e.g. organisation name, billing address, and purchase order number if required). An invoice will be issued to your organisation, and payment terms will be outlined on the invoice.
Your place will be confirmed once the invoice has been raised.
Training Cancellation Terms and Conditions
As a charity, we aim to keep our training accessible while ensuring we can cover the costs of delivery. Our cancellation terms are designed to be fair and transparent:
- Cancellations made 30 days or more before the training date will receive a full (100%) refund of the course fee.
- Cancellations made within 14 days of the training date will receive a 25% refund of the course fee.
- Cancellations made 7 days or less before the training date are not eligible for a refund, as costs will have already been incurred.
- All cancellations must be confirmed in writing to the Brain Health Learning Centre by email learning@alzscot.org
- Where possible, we are happy to accept substitute attendees at no additional cost – please get in touch with us in advance to arrange this.
We understand that circumstances can change unexpectedly and will always try to be as supportive as possible where we can.
Stay Updated
Details on dates, topics, and booking information will be released soon. If you’d like to be notified when study days launch join our mailing list