People living with dementia face barriers to accessing rehabilitation despite evidence of its clinical benefit , clinical guidelines recognising it as best practice and calls from people with dementia themselves for enhanced access to rehabilitation as part of their post-diagnostic pathway. Despite speech pathologists being uniquely placed due to their expertise in neurogenic and neurodegenerative communication and swallowing impairments, they are often not routinely involved in offering rehabilitation services, particularly to meet communication needs . One of the recommendations of a co-design process undertaken with people with lived experience of dementia was to develop an online learning package for health professionals themselves to enhance their knowledge about dementia rehabilitation and to challenge stigma . This project aimed to- develop an online multidisciplinary allied health “Introduction to Dementia Rehabilitation Course” with an anti-stigma and rights-based approach - review changes in course participants’ attitudes, confidence and knowledge regarding dementia rehabilitation. Over 500 health workers (including allied health professionals, practice nurses, aged care assessors, and case managers) from across Australia enrolled in a pilot of the ten-module online course, developed by a team of allied health professionals and people with lived experience of dementia. Completion rates over 70% were achieved. Feedback from participants has highlighted that the course helped them to reframe attitudes, identify ways to improve practice and advocate for changes in service access. Detailed evaluation of course outcomes will analyse changes in participant attitudes, confidence and knowledge. Future goals include developing an accessible course for the whole community, including people living with dementia.Challenging stigma and enhancing knowledge through online training can positively influence the attitudes of health professionals about dementia rehabilitation. Speech pathologists will be challenged to reflect on their own confidence and attitudes in this area and respond to the unmet needs of people living with dementia.

1.Laver, K. E., Crotty, M., Low, L.-F., Clemson, L., Whitehead, C., McLoughlin, J., Swaffer, K., & Cations, M. (2020). Rehabilitation for people living with dementia: a multi-method study examining knowledge and attitudes. BMC Geriatrics, 20(1), 531. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-020-01940-x 2.Cations, M., May, N., Crotty, M., Low, L.F., Clemson, L., Whitehead, C., McLoughlin, J., Swaffer, K. & Laver, K.E. Health Professional Perspectives on Rehabilitation for People With Dementia, The Gerontologist, Volume 60, Issue 3, April 2020, Pages 503 -512, https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnz0073.Volkmer, A., Spector, A., Warren, J. D., & Beeke, S. (2018). Speech and language therapy for primary progressive aphasia: Referral patterns and barriers to service provision across the UK. Dementia (London), 19(5), 1349-1363. https://doi.org/10.1177/1471301218797240 Low, L. F., & Laver, K. (Eds.) (2021). Dementia Rehabilitation: Evidence-Based Interventions and Clinical Recommendations. Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/C2018-0-04195-X 1.WHO (2023) Package of interventions for rehabilitation: module 3: neurological https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240071131 2. Guideline Adaptation Committee. Clinical Practice Guidelines and Principles of Care for People with Dementia. Sydney (Australia) 2016 https://cdpc.sydney.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/CDPC-Dementia-Guidelines_WEB.pdf 3. Australian Dementia Network. Memory and Cognition Clinic Guidelines: National service guidelines for specialised dementia and cognitive decline assessment services in Australia. Sydney (Australia) Australian Dementia Network, Version 2; 2024 https://memoryandcognitionclinic.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/ADNeT_MC_Clinic_Guidelines_Version_2.pdf Laver, K.E., Crotty, M., Low, LF. et al. Rehabilitation for people with dementia: a multi-method study examining knowledge and attitudes. BMC Geriatr 20, 531 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-020-01940-x Folder, N., Cartwright, J., Torresi, K., Taylor, C., Conway, E., Murray, J., Caruana, A. & Power, E. (2024). Stepping Back into The Dementia Space: A Call to Arms to Reaffirm the Essential Role of Speech Language Pathology In Supporting Communication Impairments In Dementia. Journal of Clinical Practice in Speech-Language Pathology. 24. 67-72. 10.1080/22087168.2022.12370357 Layton, N., Devanny, C., Hill, K., Swaffer, K., Russell, G., Low, L.-F., Lee, D.-C.A., Cations, M., Skouteris, H., MC O'Connor, C., Collyer, T.A., Neves, B.B., Andrew, N.E., Haines, T., Srikanth, V.K., Petersen, A. and Callisaya, M.L. (2024), The Right to Rehabilitation for People With Dementia: A Codesign Approach to Barriers and Solutions. Health Expectations, 27: e70036. https://doi.org/10.1111/hex.70036