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Interaction, Communication and Namaste Dementia Training (ICAN)
Every interaction matters.
For people living with dementia, the way you communicate and care can shape how they experience the world.
Many health and social care professionals are not always given the skills or confidence they need to truly connect.
The ICAN Dementia Training Programme is here to change that.
Programme Overview
This 5-week interactive online programme supports you to build on your existing experience, helping you feel more confident in delivering compassionate, person-centred dementia care.
You will explore the complexities of dementia, including changes in senses and different ways people communicate. The programme gives you a safe and supportive space where you can reflect on real-life challenges and think about more sensitive topics such as ‘therapeutic lying’ and restraint.
Delivered by specialists with over 10 years of experience, this training brings together the well-known approaches including Teepa Snow’s Positive Approach to Care™, Joyce Simard’s Namaste Care, and the underpinning theory of Professor Ian James’ 8 Needs Model.
By the end you will feel more confident in your practice and better prepared to support people living with dementia in a compassionate and meaningful way.
Key Areas
- Introduction to Dementia and the core concepts of the programme
- Building blocks to communicating with people with dementia
- Enhanced Communication Skills
- Therapeutic Approaches
- Personalised Care Planning
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the five sessions, you will be able to:
- Explore the core principles underpinning person-centred dementia care.
- Identify common communication barriers in dementia and demonstrate underpinning core techniques to support understanding and engagement.
- Apply advanced verbal and non-verbal communication strategies to effectively interact with individuals at different stages of dementia.
- Explain and implement a range of therapeutic approaches to support emotional wellbeing and reduce distress in people with dementia. We will draw on Namaste Care principles and practice.
- Learn how to develop and evaluate person-centred care plans that reflect individual needs, preferences, history, and changing abilities, using a psychosocial emotional lens.
Details
- Length: 5 sessions, each session is 2 hours long. Each session is mandatory
- Suitable for: All Health, Social Care staff caring for patients with dementia, .
- Delivered: Online via Microsoft Teams
Cost
- Funded: Fully funded for those working in Cheshire East. People working outside Cheshire East are welcome at a cost.
- Programme Cost: £200 per person (includes all 5 sessions).
Dates
Details of programme dates and times:
July Programme
Wednesdays – Online
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Start Date: 1/7/2026,
Week 2: 8/7,
Week 3: 15/7,
Week 4: 22/7,
Week 5: 29/7
September Programme
Wednesdays – Online
9:30 am – 11:30 am
Start Date: 2/9/2026,
Week 2: 9/9,
Week 3: 16/9,
Week 4: 23/9,
Week 5: 30/9
October Programme
Thursdays – Online
9:30 am – 11:30 am
Start Date: 1/10/2026,
Week 2: 8/10,
Week 3: 15/10,
Week 4: 22/10,
Week 5: 29/10