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James L. West Center for Dementia Care: 2026-2028 More than Words: Communication Practices & Upholding Resident Rights in Dementia Care
This course equips healthcare professionals and direct care staff with practical, evidence-informed communication strategies and a rights-based framework for supporting persons living with dementia. Participants will explore how dementia affects verbal and nonverbal communication across disease stages and learn compassionate, person-centered approaches that preserve dignity, autonomy, and emotional safety. The course emphasizes resident rights including privacy, choice, consent, freedom from abuse and restraints, and the right to meaningful participation in care. Through applied strategies such as validation, active listening, and culturally responsive communication, learners will strengthen their ability to reduce distress, support ethical decision-making, and improve quality of life for individuals living with dementia and their families.
Target Audience
This activity is intended for: nurses, social workers, community health workers, public health professionals, Texas-licensed physical therapists, and Texas-licensed professional counselors.
Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of this activity, participants should be able to:
- Describe how Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias affect communication across disease stages, including changes in verbal, nonverbal, emotional, and behavioral expression.
- Apply evidence-informed, person-centered communication strategies—including validation, active listening, therapeutic storytelling, and nonverbal techniques—to reduce distress and support meaningful engagement with persons living with dementia.
- Demonstrate communication practices that uphold resident dignity, autonomy, and personhood, including respectful language, honoring preferences, offering choices, and adapting care to remaining abilities during daily interactions and personal care.
- Identify and uphold the rights of persons living with dementia integrating ethical decision-making to balance resident choice, safety, privacy, family involvement, and protection from abuse or unnecessary restraint.
Funding
This project is supported by grant funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number U1QHP53050. The contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official view of the Health Resources and Services Administration or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. No commercial support was received for this activity.
Jaime Cobb Tinsley, Certified Montessori Dementia Care Professional and Certified Alzheimer's Educator
Mack Baldridge
Joanna Glover
Tanisha Manuel
Andrea Martin
Tia Viera
Cheryl Harding, PhD, LNFA
Hollie Lowe, MA, LPC, NCC
Jaime Cobb Tinsley, Certified Montessori Dementia Care Professional and Certified Alzheimer's Educator
Hollie Lowe, MA, LPC, NCC
In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth and James L. West Center for Dementia Care. The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing Education for the healthcare team.
As a Jointly Accredited Organization, The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit.
National Board of Public Health Examiners
This activity is approved for 1.00 credit(s) accepted by the National Board of Public Health Examiners' Certified Public Health (CPH) recertification program.
Texas Administrative Code
The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth certifies this activity meets the requirements for continuing education for Texas-licensed Professional Counselors and Texas-licensed Marriage and Family Therapists.
Texas Physical Therapy Association
This activity is offered by the Texas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners Accredited Provider #2711035TX and meets continuing competence requirements for physical therapist and physical therapist assistant licensure renewal in Texas. The assignment of Texas PT CCUs does not imply endorsement of specific course content, products, or clinical procedures by TPTA or TBPTE.
Designation Statements
Nurses
This activity provides up to 1.00 contact hours.
Certified Public Health Professionals (CPH)
This activity provides 1.00 contact hour.
Social Workers
Social Workers completing this course receive 1.5 contact hours of continuing education credits.
Licensed Professional Counselors, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists, and Psychologists
This activity provides 1.00 contact hour.
Physical Therapists
This course provides 1.00 contact hour for PTs and PTAs licensed in Texas.
For successful completion, a participant must attend the program, complete the evaluation, and request credit online at the conclusion of the activity.
Non-Certified Community Health Workers
1 Non-certified CEU. This educational activity was not reviewed by DSHS but is within the scope of a CHW/CHWI and covers one of these competencies. (Knowledge Base on Specific Health Issues, Capacity Building Skills, Communication Skills, Interpersonal Skills, Organization Skills)
Certificate of Attendance
The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth certifies this activity for 1.00 hour of participation.
Available Credit
- 1.00 ANCC
- 1.50 ASWB Credit
- 1.00 Certified Public Health (CPH)
- 1.00 Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
- 1.00 HSC Participation
- 1.00 Physical Therapist (PT)
This activity is provided by the Texas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners Accredited Provider APS #: and meets continuing competence requirements for physical therapist and physical therapist assistant licensure renewal in Texas.
Price
Please note that some images were generated using Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms.
Required Hardware/software
This activity is best experienced using the most current browser (or one back) of Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Internet Explorer, or Microsoft Edge. For all activities featuring audio, you must have a sound card and speakers. To view graphic images and references that appear in separate "pop-up" windows, you must have session cookies enabled on your computer. Adobe Acrobat Reader may be required for certain activities.
Accessibility Statement
If you require special assistance to participate in this activity, please call (817) 735-2539 or email: [email protected]. An Equal Opportunity University.