Dementia awareness training online in the UK: where to train and what employers look for

What employers look for in an online dementia awareness certificate

Your employer decides what dementia training you need. In England the Care Quality Commission expects registered providers to have staff with the training they need for the people they support, and the Dementia Training Standards Framework describes the awareness that everyone who may meet a person with dementia should have. When an employer checks a certificate, they usually look for:

• Content that follows current law and guidance. The Care Act 2014 and the 2014 Regulations in England, the Mental Capacity Act 2005 in England and Wales, the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000, and the Dementia Training Standards Framework at awareness level.
• A clear, verifiable record. The course name, hours of learning and completion date, with a way to confirm the certificate.
• The essentials every worker needs. What dementia is and how it affects a person, person centred care, communication that works, responding to distress, the environment, capacity and consent, and support for families and carers.
• A refresh date. Guidance and practice move on, so a refresh date matters.

Lift College's certificate does each of these. It records Dementia Awareness Training, 1.5 hours of learning, your completion date and a recommended refresh date 3 years on, with a unique certificate number and a verification link. This course gives awareness level knowledge and does not give medical advice. Staff in specialist dementia roles will need further training, and anyone worried about their own memory or a relative's should speak to a GP.

What the Lift College course covers

There are 5 short modules, each with a knowledge check, then a multiple choice final test with an 80% pass mark and unlimited free retakes.

1. Understanding dementia. What dementia is, Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies and frontotemporal dementia, early signs, diagnosis and how it progresses.
2. How dementia affects a person. Memory, language, reasoning, perception, time and place, mood and behaviour. Why a person may not recognise a mirror, a dark mat or a loved one, and the emotions that remain.
3. Person centred care. Seeing the individual, life history, routines and preferences, dignity, choice and independence, and what the Care Act and the Health and Social Care Act expect of providers.
4. Communication and distress. Approaching, speaking and listening, non verbal communication, validation rather than correction, and responding to distress or behaviour that challenges by finding the unmet need.
5. Environment, capacity and carers. Lighting, signage, colour contrast, noise and clutter. The Mental Capacity Act and everyday decisions, consent and best interests. Supporting families and carers and where to find help.

By the end you can describe the main types of dementia and how they affect a person, communicate in a way that reduces confusion and distress, respond to behaviour that challenges by looking for the unmet need, make small changes to an environment that help, and explain how capacity and consent work in everyday decisions.

The law and guidance it is written around

• Care Act 2014 (England). Puts individual wellbeing at the centre of adult social care, with duties on local authorities to assess needs, support carers and safeguard adults at risk, and principles that shape person centred dementia care.
• Mental Capacity Act 2005 (England and Wales). The five principles for supporting people who may lack capacity for a decision: assume capacity, support the person to decide, respect unwise decisions, act in best interests and choose the least restrictive option.
• Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 (Scotland). The Scottish framework for decisions on behalf of adults who lack capacity, built on benefit to the adult, minimum intervention, the adult's wishes and consulting those close to them.
• Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, regulation 18 (England). Registered care providers must have enough suitably qualified, competent, skilled and experienced staff, who receive the training they need for their role. The Care Quality Commission inspects against it.

Northern Ireland has its own capacity law and care standards; the person centred approach and the communication skills in the course apply wherever you work.

How Lift College compares with other UK providers

Details below are as each provider shows them on its own course page, checked 16 October 2026. "Check provider" means the page did not state it.

With Lift College the £19.99 is the full price for one learner, with nothing added at checkout, and the refresher is free when your recommended refresh date arrives. Retakes of the final test are free and unlimited.

Who it suits

Dementia Awareness Training is for anyone who supports, serves or lives alongside people who may have dementia in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It is for you if:

• you work in a care home, home care, hospital, GP surgery or day centre
• you work in housing, retail, banking, transport or another customer facing role
• you are new to care and the Care Certificate standards apply to you
• you support a relative or friend living with dementia
• your employer wants a dementia friendly workforce

If you also need safeguarding training, see our safeguarding adults level 2 guide. Mental health more widely is covered in our mental health awareness guide. New to care? Read free versus paid Care Certificate courses. See every course on the safeguarding and care courses page or browse all Lift College CPD courses. Buying for a team? Ask about team enrolment.

Enrol on Dementia Awareness Training for £19.99 and start module 1 the minute you pay. Ask within 14 days of paying and we refund you in full.