Dementia is not a single disease, but an umbrella term used to describe a range of conditions that affect the brain. These conditions share common features, including changes to memory, thinking, and behaviour, caused by damage to brain cells.

To provide high-quality care, it is essential that care workers recognise each person living with dementia as an individual. A key aspect of working in domiciliary dementia care is the ability to look beyond the diagnosis and see the whole person—their life history, preferences, abilities, and identity.

This course explores the meaning of person-centred care. An important starting point for care workers is to consider what it might feel like to live with dementia. Developing this understanding helps to build empathy—the ability to see the world from another person’s perspective.

People living with dementia continue to experience emotions, relationships, and a sense of self, just like anyone else. While dementia may affect how a person understands and interacts with the world, their reality remains meaningful to them. As a care worker, developing an understanding of this perspective is essential in providing compassionate, respectful, and effective support.