This is what your teachers need from you

Do you have expertise in improving the care and wellbeing of people with dementia? Perhaps you could help take training programmes for care and wellbeing professionals to the next level. They are actively seeking specific knowledge. DEMPACT has investigated what this entails and has listed five key themes for you.

Much of the knowledge that has been known to dementia researchers ‘for a long time’ is not reflected in the curricula of care and welfare training programmes. This is because, for a long time, there was little collaboration between education and research. Fortunately, that is changing. DEMPACT has assessed the knowledge needs of lecturers in healthcare and social care programmes, particularly at further vocational education (MBO) level. Do you have that knowledge to offer? If so, we’d be happy to put you in touch with the right network.

1. Dealing with people with dementia

More than eighty per cent of VET students in elderly care come into contact with people with dementia during their first work placement. As a result, they face complex challenges and dilemmas at an early stage. Consider, for example, dealing with behaviour that is difficult to understand, such as confusion or aggression. It is therefore important that students are well prepared before they start work and are provided with the necessary knowledge and skills in a safe environment. For example, how do you deal with someone who wants to do something that is genuinely dangerous? The education sector needs insight into effective approaches to such situations.

2. Using technology to enable people to live independently for longer

Around 75 per cent of people with dementia live at home. Thanks to technology, more people with dementia can continue to live safely at home for longer. Examples include a compass that points the way home or the use of care robots. Teachers lack this kind of technological knowledge for the curriculum, even though the field is developing rapidly. What care technology is actually available, for example? As a care provider, how do you work out which technology is best suited to solving a particular problem? And: what practical considerations must you bear in mind as a care provider when using care technology?

3. Supporting an informal carer

You may already be aware that the number of people with dementia is set to almost double by 2050. More people with dementia also means more informal care. However, the number of informal carers is not growing in proportion to the number of people with dementia. In 2024, there were still 2.6 informal carers for every person with dementia; this fell to 1.7 in 2025. Providing physical and mental care for someone with dementia places a heavy burden on informal carers. It causes stress and puts pressure on other areas of life, such as work or family. Questions arising from care education include: what support do they need? How can we ease their burden, and how can healthcare professionals best collaborate with informal carers?

4. Diagnosis

66 per cent of informal carers report that it took more than a year for their loved one to be diagnosed with dementia. Although vocational care professionals do not make diagnoses, it is important for them to understand how this process works. For example, can a carer learn to recognise early signs and involve a doctor or a family member in good time? And is there a difference between ‘normal’ age-related symptoms and symptoms of dementia? If dementia is suspected, care professionals can provide information and explain the diagnosis and treatment process, and they can refer people for further assessment. It is still common for no action to be taken when dementia is suspected, resulting in a diagnosis being made unnecessarily late. Vocational training professionals can play an important role in this regard.

5. Early-onset dementia

There are relatively few young people with dementia – around 15,000 in the Netherlands. They, too, deserve appropriate care. Tutors indicate that there is a need to incorporate knowledge on this subject into healthcare and social care education. For example, how do you recognise dementia in a young person? And does the disease progress in the same way in young people as it does in older people? What are suitable daytime activities for someone with early-onset dementia?

Would you like to get involved?

Do you have knowledge of the topics mentioned above? And would you like to work with teachers to incorporate this knowledge into healthcare and social care education?

• Team DEMPACT would be happy to put you in touch with the right network.
• Would you like to find out in advance how your knowledge can be incorporated into the curriculum? Then read ‘Three things you need to know about vocational care and welfare education’.