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Keep shoppingUnderstanding Dementia: Brain Science and Caregiving
619 students
Understanding Dementia: Brain Science and Caregiving
A complete guide to understanding dementia from brain science to caregiving—ideal for families and professionals.
Created byAaron Roberts
Last updated 6/2025
English
What you'll learn
- How to define dementia and explain how it differs from normal aging, including an understanding of its neurodegenerative nature and symptoms.
- Describe the major types of dementia - including Alzheimer’s, vascular, Lewy Body, and frontotemporal - and how each affects the brain and behavior.
- Identify key changes in brain anatomy and function that contribute to cognitive decline, and connect specific symptoms to the regions of the brain affecte
- Understand the diagnostic process, including medical history, imaging, biomarkers, and functional assessments used by clinicians.
- Apply communication and caregiving strategies tailored to each stage of dementia to support dignity, independence, and quality of life.
- Recognize the impact of dementia on caregivers, and outline strategies for managing stress, planning ahead legally and financially, and accessing support.
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Course content
7 sections • 19 lectures • 1h 20m total length
Requirements
- No prerequisites
Description
Dementia is often misunderstood. It's more than just memory loss, it's really a brain-based condition that affects how someone thinks, how they feel, how they communicate, and how they live. For millions of families around the world, dementia changes everything.
So, whether you're a caregiver, or a healthcare professional, a student, or simply just someone who wants to understand dementia better, this course is here to help. In this course, we will walk through what dementia actually is, how it affects the brain, and what you can do to support someone who’s living with it.
Inside this course you’ll learn:
What dementia actually is—and what it isn’t. (It's not just “getting older.”)
The difference between Alzheimer’s, vascular dementia, Lewy Body dementia, and others.
How the brain changes, and what parts are affected, and how that shows up in daily life.
How doctors diagnose it using tests, scans, and even emerging blood-based biomarkers.
What risk factors exist, from genetics to lifestyle factors—and what is in your control!
How to communicate more clearly and compassionately with someone with dementia.
What caregiving really looks like: the challenges, the skills, and the deep human moments.
In this course, we will use real-life examples, caregiver stories, and visual explanations to make it all easier to understand. This isn’t just a science-heavy course (though we’ll get into that too), it’s about seeing the whole person, not just the condition.
So if you’re supporting a loved one, working with patients, or preparing for a future in healthcare or studying biology or psychology, this course will give you the tools and insight to make a real difference. Because at the very heart of it, dementia care is about connection, dignity, and true support.
Who this course is for:
- Family members and caregivers supporting someone with dementia and looking for compassionate, practical guidance
- Healthcare professionals (nurses, aides, therapists, social workers) seeking a stronger understanding of dementia and brain-based changes
- Students in psychology, neuroscience, social work, gerontology, or nursing who want to build foundational knowledge in dementia care
- New care workers or volunteers entering dementia care environments who want to feel more confident and informed
- Anyone curious about how dementia affects the brain and daily life, and how to support loved ones through this journey