New Alzheimer’s Association training and certification program

A caregiver for a person with Alzheimer's disease wants to be prepared, have knowledge and feel confident in the care they are providing. There are 69,000 people living with Alzheimer's in Iowa and almost 132,000 unpaid family, friends and neighbors caring for them.  As Americans continue to live longer and prevalence of Alzheimer's continues to grow in Iowa, it is critical to ensure quality care for those living with this fatal and progressive brain disease.  Launched on November 1, kicking-off National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month, the new Alzheimer's Association® essentiALZ™ training and certification program will recognize professional caregivers as well as family and friends who provide unpaid care for learning quality dementia care practices.

The first step to obtaining an essentiALZ certificate of knowledge is to complete a select HealthCare Interactive CARES

“Certification under essentiALZ is extremely valuable to both the person with the disease and the care provider,” said Amanda Miller, Manager of Program Services for the Alzheimer's Association East Central Iowa Chapter. “Not only will they have the basic knowledge and understanding of the disease and caregiving techniques when working with a person who has Alzheimer's or dementia, they will also feel confident while caring out these day to day tasks.” CARES Dementia online training with essentiALZ certification is available, starting at $24.95 per person. For more information about the CARES Dementia online training and the Alzheimer's Association essentiALZ exam, visit

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online dementia care training course.  After finishing the CARES® Dementia Basics™ or Advanced Care™ training, the essentiALZ exam tests knowledge of the evidence-based and nationally recognized Alzheimer's Association Dementia Care Practice Recommendations, which are supported by more than 30 leading health and senior care organizations.

www.alz.org/essentiALZ.