By Michael Booth, Founder of the Dementia Training Academy
When I first began shaping the Dementia Training Academy, I knew one thing for certain: we cannot change dementia care with just one person at a time. We need to change it one organisation at a time as well!
That’s why our accreditation pathway exists. Not as a tick‑box exercise. Not as a marketing badge. But as a commitment to doing dementia care properly, with emotional intelligence, lived experience, and genuine accountability at its heart.
And the truth is this: Businesses, charities, and NHS teams have more power to transform dementia care than they realise.
Accreditation Isn’t About Status — It’s About Standards
Too many organisations believe they’re “dementia friendly” because they’ve done a one‑hour awareness session or put up a poster.
But dementia care requires more than awareness. It requires understanding, consistency, and culture change.
Our accreditation pathway raises the bar by ensuring that organisations:
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Train staff at every level, not just frontline teams
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Embed emotionally intelligent practice into daily routines
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Create environments that reduce distress and increase independence
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Understand triggers, communication changes, and emotional needs
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Build confidence in families and the wider community
This is not a badge you buy. It’s a standard you earn. A standard you live by.
The Difference Accreditation Makes
When an organisation commits to our pathway, something shifts, and it’s visible.
1. Staff feel more confident and less overwhelmed
Emotionally intelligent training gives teams the tools to respond calmly, compassionately, and effectively. Confidence replaces fear. Understanding replaces frustration.
2. People with dementia feel safer and more understood
When staff know how to interpret emotional, behavioural, and communicative changes, distress reduces dramatically. People feel seen. They feel valued. They feel human.
3. Families trust your organisation more deeply
Families can tell when a service “gets it.” Accreditation shows them that dementia care is a priority.
4. Organisations stand out for the right reasons
In a crowded sector, accreditation becomes a mark of integrity. It tells the world: “We do more than care; we care enough to make changes, to make a difference.”
Why Businesses Should Get Involved
Whether you’re a care provider, charity, community organisation, or NHS team, dementia touches your world.
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Your staff
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Your customers
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Your service users
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Your volunteers
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Your community
Dementia is not a niche issue. It’s a human issue.
Accreditation helps organisations:
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Improve customer experience
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Reduce complaints
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Strengthen staff retention
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Build community trust
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Demonstrate social responsibility
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Meet the needs of an ageing population
And most importantly, it shows leadership.
A Lived‑Experience Standard
As someone living with dementia myself, I know what good care feels like, and what it doesn’t.
I know the difference between being supported and being managed. Between being included and being tolerated. Between being understood and being dismissed.
Our accreditation is built from that lived experience. It’s real. It’s human. It’s needed.
A Call to Organisations Everywhere
If you want your organisation to be part of a national movement that puts dignity, emotional intelligence, and humanity at the centre of dementia care, then accreditation is your next step.
Not because it looks good. But because it does good.
And that’s what the Dementia Training Academy is all about.