Learn It
Live It
Share ItAging, Dementia, Disabilities and End-of-Life Care
in the Academy
💜 Welcome, Caregiver!
Person-centered care at every stage. This module is about 8 classroom-equivalent hours across the video lesson, this eBook and practice.
By the end you can
- Describe common changes with aging and how to support them
- Use calm, person-centered ways to help someone with dementia
- Support people with developmental disabilities and people at the end of life
🪙 You earn LEARN It coins as you turn the pages, and a chapter badge when you reach each section.
Aging, Dementia, Disabilities and End-of-Life Care
Aging is not illness
Many older adults have changes in vision, hearing, skin, balance and sleep, but sudden changes in thinking, mood or ability are not normal aging. Report them. Support what the person can still do.
Dementia care
Approach from the front, say your name, speak calmly and give one simple step at a time. Do not argue or correct. Redirect to something pleasant. Behaviors are often a sign of a need, like pain, hunger, fear or needing the bathroom.
Developmental disabilities
People with intellectual and developmental disabilities have goals, likes and the right to make choices. Use person-first language, follow their support plan, and use the ways they communicate best, such as pictures, signs or devices.
Aging, Dementia, Disabilities and End-of-Life Care continued
End-of-life care
Hospice focuses on comfort, not cure. Help keep the person clean, comfortable and not alone. Offer mouth care, gentle repositioning and a calm room. Report pain, breathing changes and family needs to the nurse. Respect cultural and spiritual wishes.
Caring for yourself
Losing a client and caring for people with hard behaviors can be stressful. Talk with your supervisor, take your breaks and use support. Caring for yourself helps you care for others.
Words Caregivers Use
A group of conditions that cause memory loss and changes in thinking that make daily life harder. Alzheimer's disease is one type.
Gently moving a person's attention to a different activity or topic.
Care built around the person's own goals, history and choices.
Care that focuses on comfort and quality of life when a cure is no longer the goal.
Mr. Wilson wants to go to work
Mr. Wilson, who has Alzheimer's disease, puts on his coat at 4 p.m. and says he is late for his job at the mill. He retired 20 years ago. He is getting upset.
Your care steps
- Stay calm and speak gently
- Do not argue or tell him he is retired
- Ask him about his work and listen
- Redirect him to a snack or a favorite activity
- Note the time and what helped, and share it with your supervisor
In the Qwest, the steps are shuffled. Put them in the safest order to earn your LIVE It coins.
Keep caring: Aging, Dementia, Disabilities and End-of-Life Care
The rest of this eBook — the scenario, practice check, skills lab list, care log and answer key.
Get this eBook · $9.99All 10 eBooks + Ambassador membership · $49Home Care learners and Ambassadors: this series is included.Sign in to unlockCheck Your Care Skills
- Correct them firmly
- Avoid arguing and redirect
- Show them a calendar again and again
- Leave the room
- Normal aging
- Something to report
- Not your concern
- Expected every day
- "The disabled"
- "A person with a disability"
- "The patient in bed 2"
- "The dementia"
- Cure at any cost
- Comfort and quality of life
- Moving to a hospital
- More tests
- They are mean
- They may be scared, cold or in pain
- They want to be alone forever
- Nothing
Answers are on page 11. In the Qwest this is the Boss Quiz — score 80% to earn the station badge.
Keep caring: Aging, Dementia, Disabilities and End-of-Life Care
The rest of this eBook — the scenario, practice check, skills lab list, care log and answer key.
Get this eBook · $9.99All 10 eBooks + Ambassador membership · $49Home Care learners and Ambassadors: this series is included.Sign in to unlockModule 9 Skills Lab
Practice and get checked on these 2 skills
Mostly knowledge and role-play. AHCCCS DCW Level II specialty testing is completed through an approved program.
| Skill | Date practiced | Instructor initials |
|---|---|---|
| Communication with a person with dementia (role-play) | ||
| Post-mortem care, if your agency's aides do it (agency-specific) |
Hands-on skills and competency checks are completed in person with an approved partner program. Reading this eBook does not make you competent in a skill. Aides follow the care plan and the supervising nurse. For medicines, follow your state's rules and your agency's care plan.
Keep caring: Aging, Dementia, Disabilities and End-of-Life Care
The rest of this eBook — the scenario, practice check, skills lab list, care log and answer key.
Get this eBook · $9.99All 10 eBooks + Ambassador membership · $49Home Care learners and Ambassadors: this series is included.Sign in to unlockTeach It Forward
The fastest way to master a skill is to teach it. Your Share It challenge:
- Share one calm way to respond to a person with dementia with a family caregiver.
- Use teach-back: ask them to tell or show you the idea in their own words.
- Post what you learned (no client names or photos) in your group or the Share It Studio to earn SHARE It coins.
Keep caring: Aging, Dementia, Disabilities and End-of-Life Care
The rest of this eBook — the scenario, practice check, skills lab list, care log and answer key.
Get this eBook · $9.99All 10 eBooks + Ambassador membership · $49Home Care learners and Ambassadors: this series is included.Sign in to unlockSee It, Say It, Write It
Use this log to practice objective notes during lab or role-play. In a real job, use your agency's record system only. Never write client names here.
| Date / time | What I saw or measured | What the client said | Who I told | Instructions given |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Report changes the same day. Call 911 first in an emergency.
Keep caring: Aging, Dementia, Disabilities and End-of-Life Care
The rest of this eBook — the scenario, practice check, skills lab list, care log and answer key.
Get this eBook · $9.99All 10 eBooks + Ambassador membership · $49Home Care learners and Ambassadors: this series is included.Sign in to unlockAnswer Key
- B. Avoid arguing and redirect — Arguing raises stress. Redirect calmly.
- B. Something to report — Sudden changes can signal illness, such as an infection.
- B. "A person with a disability" — Put the person first.
- B. Comfort and quality of life — Hospice supports comfort and dignity.
- B. They may be scared, cold or in pain — Behavior often signals a need. Look for the cause and report it.
Source: Home Care & Digital Caregiving, Force for Health Academy (2026). Mapped to 42 CFR 484.80 and AHCCCS Direct Care Worker Principles of Caregiving. Rules differ by state and agency: always follow your state's rules, your agency's policies and the client's care plan.
Keep caring: Aging, Dementia, Disabilities and End-of-Life Care
The rest of this eBook — the scenario, practice check, skills lab list, care log and answer key.
Get this eBook · $9.99All 10 eBooks + Ambassador membership · $49Home Care learners and Ambassadors: this series is included.Sign in to unlock10 modules. One connected caregiver.
Each eBook pairs with a video lesson in the Force for Health Academy. Hands-on skills and competency checks are completed in person with an approved partner program.
theforce.health/home-care-pathway · FFH Virtual LibraryKeep caring: Aging, Dementia, Disabilities and End-of-Life Care
The rest of this eBook — the scenario, practice check, skills lab list, care log and answer key.
Get this eBook · $9.99All 10 eBooks + Ambassador membership · $49Home Care learners and Ambassadors: this series is included.Sign in to unlock