The National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners (www.nccdp.org) provides training in the area of Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care to law enforcement agencies to equip officers with knowledge of how to assist or find people suffering from dementia.
Recently, the entire Sparta (N.J.) Police Department completed the NCCDP’s seven-hour training over a two-day period. Seminar topics included recognizing abuse and neglect in the home, communication, paranoia, hallucinations, aggressive behaviors, catastrophic reactions, wandering, elopement, hoarding, symptoms of dementia, care giver issues, diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, feelings, medications, depression, sexuality and intimacy issues, cultural diversity, nutrition, activities, pain, environment, spirituality, and end-of-life issues. At the end of the seminar each officer received a certificate of completion.
