Online Aged Care Course

Ageing is the process of growing old. It is a gradual biological impairment of usual functioning. These changes have a direct impact on the ability of organs, such as the heart, kidney and lungs and biological systems such as the reproductive and digestive systems, which affect the organism as a whole.

As a person gets older things change in their life: everything from lifestyle to health and their capacity to do things, through to those activities which they choose to pursue.

This course helps you understand these changes, and the ways in which a counsellor, carer or anyone else might interact with and support an older person.

Course Content

There are nine lessons in this module as follows:

1. Understanding Ageing

• Gerontology,
• What do we mean by Ageing?
• Population Ageing,
• The Effects of the Ageing Population,
• Theories of Human Development,
• Erikson’s Theory of Development,
• Levinson ,
• Theories of Retirement,
• Disengagement Theory,
• Activity Theory,
• Atchley’s Model of Retirement

2. Lifestyle Changes

• Relationships,
• Relationships with Children,
• Relationships with Partners (Husband/wife),
• Relationships with Grandchildren,
• Friendships,
• Sexuality and Older People,
• Cognitive Changes,
• Intelligence,
• Depression,
• Determining Type of Depression,
• Unipolar Disorder,
• Bipolar Disorder,
• Causes of Depression,
• Risk factors for Depression,
• Men and Depression,
• Depression in Older People, Symptoms

3. Deterioration of Health

• Physical Changes –Skin, Hair, Height, Senses, Reflexes, Sex, Eyes,
• Chronic Health Problems, Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Gout, etc.
• Exercise,
• Diet,
• Nutrition,
• Eating habits, etc.
• Pain relief,
• Medication,
• Stress.

4. Support Services

• Preventative Services,
• Occupational Therapists,
• Physiotherapists,
• Complimentary Practitioners,
• Counselling Professionals,
• Other Support Services (eg. Meals on Wheels, Funeral Services)

5. Enablement Techniques

• Common Risks for Elderly: Risk of Falling, Vision, Hearing, Nutrition, Sexuality.
• Techniques to maintain Quality of Life
• Driving a car, banking, shopping, house cleaning,
• Gardening,
• Socialising,
• Pets,
• Exercise,
• Sport

6. Grief and Loss Counselling

• What is grief,
• Psychological aspects of Long Term Grief
• Family, Work, Financial, Loneliness
• Morality after bereavement,
• Counsellors Response and Intervention,
• Practical Intervention,
• Depression

7. Debilitating and Terminal Illness

• Dementia, Kinds of Dementia (Alzheimers, Vascular Dementia);
• Strategies for Counselling the Demented Client;
• Communication,
• Daily Activities,
• Sleeping Difficulties,
• Hallucinations and Delusions,
• Wandering,
• Depression,
• Terminal Illness: Patients Response,
• Anxiety,
• Depression,
• Guilt & Anger,
• Defense Mechanisms.
• Preparing for Approaching Death;
• Practical Preparations,
• Emotional Responses,
• Responses of Friends and Family

8. Losing a Loved One

• Importance of Loss,
• Assessment, Role of the Deceased, Death of a Child,
• Stigmatised Death,
• Co-Morbidity.
• Counselling Strategies
• Bibliotherapy,
• Use of Rituals,
• Bereavement Support Groups.
• Special Therapeutic Situations
• Traumatic, Sudden, and Stigmatised Loss,
• Ongoing Support,
• Social Stigmas of Suicide

9. Ethics and Intervention

• Barriers to Aged Care Counselling,
• Addressing the Client’s Needs,
• Common Legal and Ethical Issues with Aged Care
• Decision Making Capacity,
• Competence,
• Informed Consent,
• Confidentiality,
• Euthanasia, etc

Aims

• Discuss theories of ageing, and to develop an understanding of the different stages of human development.
• Describe the psychological impact of changes which occur as a person reaches old age
• Explain the effect of physical health problems on older people.
• Describe the nature and scope of support services, including counselling, for the elderly.
• Describe a range of solutions that can enable an elderly person to adapt to changed circumstances in order to continue performing tasks or pursuing interests that are becoming increasingly difficult for them.
• Explain how a variety of counselling techniques can be applied to specific Grief and loss situations for counselling elderly persons.
• Develop a strategy for counselling an elderly person who has been diagnosed with a debilitating or terminal illness.
• Develop a strategy for counselling an elderly person who has lost a loved one.
• Determine when and how to intervene in the life of an elderly person

For more information on this course, please request your free course information pack.