July 28, 2016 | The AAI Mental Health & Dementia Workgroup conducted its first Train the Trainer course. The course was designed to provide others with instruction on how to facilitate a Detect & Connect Workshop. The Detect & Connect program was originally conceived as a workshop to help others who regularly interact with older adults. The workshop covers how to recognize concerning behaviors, connect compassionately with older adults, and connect with the appropriate resources. The Train the Trainer course was added to expand the outreach of this valuable information.
Train the Trainer empowers future facilitators to run their own Detect & Connect workshop
Participants (2 men, 11 women) of the pilot course represented a variety of backgrounds including advocacy, disabilities, mental health, and senior services. With a focus on how to facilitate, the class covered empathy, active listening and engagement techniques. There were also several opportunities to practice facilitating. While there was information on concerning behaviors, the emphasis was on how to teach others to deal with the situation compassionately vs. diagnosis a person. There are now 13 people trained in these techniques to facilitate their own workshops(s).
There were many great tools…concrete tips on how to run a workshop…the binder was beautifully written and the graphics were professional…I feel I can actually do this!
To request a Detect & Connect Workshop be taught at your organization or to learn more about the program, please visit the Detect & Connect webpage.
