Postgraduate Certificate In Dementia Study (University of Stirling)

Minimum Bachelor degree or equivalent. Preferably in a relevant subject.

Applicants without formal qualifications but with significant appropriate, relevant work/life experience are encouraged to apply.

For students whose first language is not English, a minimum IELTS score of 6.0 and above (6.0 in speaking and listening, 6.5 in reading and writing).

This course will enhance your employability within the broad field of dementia care, enabling you to move to more specialized and promoted posts within health and social care settings.

For professionals already working in the field and careers/volunteers who are supporting people with dementia care, this innovative course has developed to provide you with an in-depth, research-based knowledge of Dementia and approaches to dementia care. 

It will impart the transferable skills that enable you to give your expertise to colleagues and other students, transfer awareness, implement action in the community, and provide training to family members and careers.

PG Cert in Dementia Study: 3 modules out of the nine modules in the MSc

Dementia and the environment (A) 

This module created was in response to a rapidly growing interest in the social and physical environments inhabited by people with Dementia and their significance for living well. Recent years have witnessed a dramatic restructuring of health and social care, including a steady shift away from institutional forms of care for people with Dementia and towards higher levels of care provided in the person with Dementia’s own home. Such changes have important implications for anyone working in the field of dementia care. 

Topics for discussion in the module include ageing and the environment, the importance of place in person-centered care, architecture and design, home and housing, interior and exterior design and the role of outdoor space in supporting people living with Dementia. We will also discuss assistive technology in dementia care and the ethical issues surrounding the use of technology. 

Critical and creative approaches to Dementia (B) 

This module provides a foundation for the course as a whole and has a focus on two interlocking themes. We begin by exploring different critical perspectives on Dementia and their underlying theoretical context. We consider the various ways in understanding Dementia and approached in fields such as medicine, psychology and the social sciences and examine the implications for dementia care policy and practice. Students are encouraged to make links to their own professional or caring situation and to consider how these different approaches to Dementia might further inform their work. 

The relationships they develop with people living with Dementia. In the second part of the module, we turn to consider the role of creativity and the arts in dementia care. The aim here is to demonstrate and explore the diverse ways in which the skills have become embedded in dementia care and the opportunities they offer for supporting and working with people living with Dementia. 

Critical and reflecting thinking in dementia studies (C)

This module runs across the first year of the postgraduate programme in dementia study. The aim is to introduce students to critical and reflective thinking in dementia study. Students will be able to develop skills in essential reading and writing and enhance their ability to synthesize, reference and cite literature adequately. 

They will be encouraged to use these academic practice skills to reflect critically on creative approaches to Dementia. The online learning community will for this module, as others, be a source for students to discuss ideas, draw on others’ experiences and reflect on their academic practice. 

Mode of Delivery

University of Stirling Lecturers will fly into Singapore to provide face to face intensive lectures at the beginning of each level of studies. The delivery mode will support reflective practices in an authentic learning environment at the Charis Manor, a dementia-friendly Nursing Home, as well as online learning on the University of Stirling’s established e-learning platform.

Assessment Methodology

There are no examinations, and all modules graded through a range of assessments such as essays, evaluation reports, research proposals, and literature work.