Our first MCI course - virtually complete…!

This Spring we launched our first course in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a fully virtual, completely free course available on-demand.

The result of significant work from Dr Ross Dunne, old age psychiatrist and dementia expert, and created in partnership with Manchester-based Dementia United, the course was originally aimed at the Greater Manchester area only. However, the appeal of the course was broad, and we had over 90 attendees apply.

Delegates were provided pre-course reading in their designated learning space with a new module addressing a different topic released every fortnight. Each module comprises a short video lecture from Ross and two topical interviews with other experts in their field, a selection of associated journals and information to read, and a few short questions to verify attendance and 'unlock' the next module.

A supported quality improvement project was mandatory for any delegates from Greater Manchester and optional for other nationally-placed delegates. 16 projects from 19 delegates were submitted to be supported through mentorship and group meetings, whilst 9 other delegates noted their projects but chose to complete them unaided. Others chose to forgo the project at this time.

Project topics ranged from brain health promotion to assessment of anticholinergic burden, from biomarker use in early detection through to screening for dementia with Lewy bodies.

All registered projects will be presented in Zoom meetings at the start of September in August, and a journal write-up of the course as a whole, and the project work resulting from it, is planned for the Autumn.

To find out more about the course, or to register your interest in another similar course in the future, visit Dementia Academy via our website.