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Dementia as a Journey
Understand dementia trajectories, the long goodbye, and the evolving emotional and relational landscape while grounding your role in compassionate, scope-aligned care.
Doula Specialization - Online & Self-Paced
Dementia & Memory Care
Doula Certification
A specialized, self-paced training to support individuals and families living with dementia - through person-centered communication, caregiver support, and dignity at every stage.
Evidence-informed
Person-centered, non-clinical frameworks for memory care support
Ethical & scope-aligned
Clear boundaries for doulas, caregivers, and companion roles
Flexible learning
Move through the modules at your own pace from anywhere
Real-world tools
Guides, templates, and resources for practical implementation
Why This Matters
Support the parts of dementia care that families often carry alone
Families navigating dementia face a profound gap between medical management and the daily emotional reality of the "long goodbye." Dementia affects much more than memory.
Medical care is essential, but it does not always hold the day-to-day emotional, relational, and quality-of-life needs that arise across the dementia journey. That is where non-clinical dementia doula support can make a meaningful difference.
Emotional steadiness
Help families feel witnessed, supported, and less overwhelmed as dementia changes the rhythm of daily life.
Human-centered care
Keep dignity, identity, comfort, and connection at the center of the care experience.
Who This Is For
A specialization for doulas - and a strong standalone path for caregivers and helpers
Whether you are supporting your own loved one or building professional skill in dementia care, this training gives you language, structure, and grounded next steps.
Family Caregivers
For those walking beside a parent, partner, grandparent, or loved one and wanting calm, practical support tools.
End-of-Life Doulas
Deepen your scope with dementia-informed support for longer trajectories, caregiver accompaniment, and final-phase care.
Helping Professionals
Helpful for hospice volunteers, spiritual care providers, companions, and those offering non-clinical family support.
Purpose-Driven Learners
A meaningful entry point for people called to serve in memory care with compassion, dignity, and ethical clarity.
What You Will Learn
Practical skills you can apply right away
This certification is built to help you respond more skillfully, communicate more compassionately, and support both the person living with dementia and the people who love them.
Validation-based communication that meets the person where they are instead of correcting, arguing, or escalating distress.
Ambiguous loss support for families grieving ongoing change while a loved one is still physically present.
Quality-of-life frameworks that consider comfort, meaning, routines, sensory environment, and continuity of self.
Caregiver sustainability through burnout awareness, support planning, and realistic scope-safe guidance.
Transition navigation from diagnosis through advanced dementia, hospice collaboration, and final-phase presence.
The Curriculum
8 rich modules for grounded, compassionate dementia doula practice
A self-paced learning path that blends practical application, reflective learning, ethical clarity, and non-clinical support frameworks across the full dementia journey.
02
Communication & Presence
Develop validation-based communication skills and learn how to connect beyond cognition through tone, pacing, and emotional attunement.
03
Caregiver Support
Recognize ambiguous loss, emotional strain, and burnout risk while offering grounded, non-clinical support to families.
04
Values-Based Planning
Support early planning conversations, care transitions, and decisions that reflect personal values while maintaining clear role boundaries.
05
Quality of Life
Explore supportive routines, meaningful engagement, and adapted environments that promote comfort, familiarity, dignity, and emotional well-being.
06
Advanced Dementia & End of Life
Offer informed support in advanced stages, including hospice collaboration, vigil presence, comfort-focused care, and end-of-life considerations.
07
The Dementia Doula in Practice
See what dementia doula support looks like in real life, from first connection through ongoing accompaniment and changing care needs.
08
Professional Practice, Ethics & Sustainability
Build a grounded, sustainable practice with clear ethics, boundaries, self-awareness, and practical guidance for compassionate service.
Included Resources
Downloadable tools that make the learning feel immediately usable
Beyond the modules, students receive practical materials that support clearer communication, stronger caregiver support, and more thoughtful non-clinical planning.
Validation Communication Guide
Quick-reference language and response frameworks for emotion-first, non-corrective communication.
Ambiguous Loss Support Sheet
Gentle prompts and normalization tools for families grieving change across a long dementia trajectory.
Caregiver Burnout Check-In
Observation-based indicators and scope-safe ways to encourage rest, support, and more sustainable care.
Quality-of-Life Mapping Tool
Identify comfort anchors, familiar routines, sensory supports, and practical ways to reduce distress.
Life Story Snapshot Template
Capture identity, preferences, values, and continuity-of-self cues that support more relational care.
Environmental Comfort Checklist
Thoughtful prompts around lighting, sound, familiarity, overstimulation, and non-clinical environmental support.
Care Transition Conversation Guide
Scope-safe language for supporting families through moves, changing care needs, and evolving decisions.
Final-Phase Presence Framework
Guidance for relational support, vigil presence, and thoughtful collaboration with hospice and care teams.
Tuition
Choose the tuition path that is right for you
IEOLCA is committed to keeping this training accessible to everyone who feels called to this work. Every tier includes the full program, lifetime access, and our 60-day satisfaction guarantee. Choose the option that is honest and right for you - no explanation needed.
Full Tuition
$349
Helps keep this training accessible to others in our community.
50% Tuition Support
$174.50
This tier is here for you. No explanation needed.
🔒 Secure checkout via Stripe - Major cards, Apple Pay & Google Pay accepted - Instant lifetime access
Your enrollment is backed by a 60-day satisfaction guarantee
We want you to feel good about your decision. If the training does not feel like the right fit, simply reach out and we will make it right.
We believe deeply in the value of this education, and we want you to feel supported from the very first day you begin.
Student Voices
What Our Students Are Saying
These reflections speak to the depth, clarity, grounded compassion, and confidence students experience in IEOLCA programs.
Upon Completion
What you receive when you complete your training
Every IEOLCA program comes with meaningful recognition of your learning - and credentials you can put to work right away.
Certificate of Completion
Receive an IEOLCA Certificate of Completion recognized by families, organizations, and care teams in over 75 countries. Yours to display, frame, and share with confidence.
Digital Badge
A shareable IEOLCA digital badge for your email signature, website, LinkedIn profile, and social media - a visible signal of your training and your commitment to this work.
JC
Jennifer C.
📍 Victoria, BC
IEOLCA Certified
Dementia Doula
Supporting families through the long goodbye with compassion, validation, and steady presence.
Sample listing
Free Featured Directory Listing
All graduates receive a listing in the IEOLCA Doula Directory as a featured member - at no cost. Connect with families actively searching for trained, compassionate dementia doula support near them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Straight answers about the training, pacing, access, and scope
Everything here is designed to help prospective students quickly understand what the certification includes and who it is meant to serve.
A Dementia Doula is a non-medical professional trained to support individuals and families through the cognitive decline and behavioral transitions of dementia. This role offers non-clinical support that complements medical care and helps address emotional, relational, and day-to-day challenges.
Yes. Our training incorporates person-centered dementia care principles and reflects the growing need for relational, non-clinical support alongside existing medical and caregiving systems.
No. While many students are already end-of-life doulas adding a specialization, this course is designed as a standalone training for family caregivers, volunteers, and helping professionals as well.
Absolutely. Many people join this training to gain grounded skills and frameworks that help them better support their own loved ones through cognitive decline.
Yes. The program is fully online and self-paced, allowing you to move through the modules in a way that fits your life and responsibilities. There are no deadlines or live sessions required.
You receive immediate access after purchase and can begin the training right away. All modules, tools, and resources are available from day one.
This certification includes eight content-rich modules plus downloadable tools, communication guides, caregiver support templates, quality-of-life planning worksheets, and clear scope and ethics guidance.
The program is fully self-paced. Many students complete the eight modules in roughly 20 to 40 hours total, depending on their pace of study and how much time they spend with the reflection work.
Yes. Every enrollment is backed by a 60-day satisfaction guarantee. If the training does not feel like the right fit for any reason, a full refund is available within 60 days of purchase. No questions asked.
You are never alone in your learning. Our support team is available via email at office@ieolca.org for any curriculum questions or technical assistance you need during your training.
Ready to Begin?
Step into this work with more confidence, clarity, and compassion
IEOLCA is committed to making this training accessible to anyone wanting to support those living with dementia. Every tuition path includes the full program, lifetime access, and the 60-day guarantee.
Full Tuition
$349
Enroll Now - Instant Access
50% Tuition Support
$174.50
Enroll Now - Instant Access
🔒 Secure checkout via Stripe - 60-day satisfaction guarantee - Lifetime access
Your enrollment is backed by a 60-day satisfaction guarantee
If the training does not feel like the right fit, a full refund is available within 60 days. We believe deeply in the value of this education, and we want you to feel supported from day one.
Questions before enrolling? Reach us at office@ieolca.org - we are glad to help.