Why Study Aged Care and Counselling?

As we are living longer, our population is aging.  A knowledge of aged care and counselling is therefore useful in many different aspects of life – both at work and personally. 

This course will provide you with an intensive and extensive foundation of knowledge related to the changes people experience as they age.

Study this course for professional development, as a way onto a new career path, or to gain a deeper understanding about how you can help your loved ones.

Who Is This Course Suitable For?

You may be caring for an older person or looking for career opportunities working with older people. You may wish to study to improve your CV and for professional development. This course is suitable for anyone who lives or works with older people. For example,

• Carers.
• Care workers.
• Support workers.
• Rehabilitation workers.
• Occupational therapists.
• Physiotherapists.
• Doctors.
• Nurses.
• Family members, and more.

What Will You Learn in This Course?

Study this aged care and counselling course for professional development. 

• Learn the fundamentals of how to care for the older people.
• Learn about lifestyle and physical changes people face as they age.
• Study grief and loss counselling.

Through your studies you will:

• Gain an understanding of the ageing process and how it can affect individuals.
• Learn about the changing nature of relationships as people age.
• Learn about how depression can affect the elderly.
• Develop an understanding about changes in physicality as people age.
• Learn how to seek and provide support.
• Learn about common risks, and how to manage them.
• Develop an understanding of possible health problems.
• Study loss, and how to support people through grief.

COURSE CONTENT

The course comprises 9 lessons, as shown below.

Lesson 1. Understanding Ageing

• 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. Retirement Counselling.)

Lesson 2. Lifestyle Changes

• Retirement. (Relationships. Relationships with Children. Relationships with Partners/Husband/wife. Widowhood/Disruption of Marriage/Life Partnership Due to Death. Relationships with Grandchildren. Friendships. Sexuality and Older People.)
• Cognitive Changes - Intelligence.
• Depression. (Determining Type of Depression. Unipolar Disorder. Bipolar Disorder. Features of Depression. Causes of Depression. Risk factors for Depression. Men and Depression. Depression and Older People. Symptoms. Suicide Risk and the Elderly.)

Lesson 3. Deterioration of Health

• Ageing. (Physical Changes. Sex.)
• Chronic Health Problems. (Osteoarthritis. Rheumatoid Arthritis. Incontinence. Problems with Eyes. Deafness.)
• Factors in Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle into Old Age.
• Human Nutrition. (Important Factors in Nutrition.)
• Pain Relief.
• Medication.
• Stress. (Consequences of Stress. Stress and the Immune System.)
• Personality and Heart Disease. (Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Ulcers. Ways to Stay Healthy.)

Lesson 4. Support Services

• Preventative Services.
• Professionals Involved in Supporting Older People. (Occupational Therapists. Physiotherapists. Complimentary Practitioners. Aids to Communication.)
• Alternative Treatments.
• Counselling Professionals. (Role of the Counsellor. Counselling and the Elderly. Group Therapy. Online and Telephone Counselling.)
• Other Support Services (Meals on Wheels. Funeral Services).

Lesson 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 and Sport.)
• Rehabilitation. (Specific Types of Rehabilitation.)

Lesson 6. Grief and Loss Counselling

• What is Grief.
• Psychological Aspects of Long-Term Grief. (Family, Work, Financial, Loneliness. Psychosocial Factors.)
• Grief Counselling.
• Counsellors Response and Intervention.
• Depression.

Lesson 7. Debilitating and Terminal Illness

• Dementia.
• Kinds of Dementia. (Alzheimer's Disease. Vascular Dementia.)
• Strategies for Counselling a Demented Client. (Communication. Daily Activities. Dealing with Sleeping Difficulties. Hallucinations and Delusions. Wandering. Depression.)
• Terminal Illness. (Patient's Response. Anxiety. Depression. Guilt or Anger. Defence Mechanisms.)
• Preparing for Approaching Death. (Practical Preparations. Emotional Reponses of the Dying. Responses of Family and Friends.)

Lesson 8. Losing a Loved One

• The Importance of Loss. (Assessment. History of Loss. Role of the Deceased. Death of a Child. Stigmatised Death. Co-Morbidity.)
• Counselling Strategies. (Therapeutic Writing. Bibliotherapy. The Use of Rituals. Bereavement Support Groups.)
• Special Therapeutic Considerations. (Traumatic, Sudden, and Stigmatised Loss. On-going Support. Social Stigmas of Suicide.)

Lesson 9. Ethics and Intervention

• Barriers to Aged Care Counselling. (Addressing the Client’s Needs.)
• Common Legal and Ethical Issues in Aged Care. (Decision Making Capacity. Competence. Informed Consent. Confidentiality. Euthanasia. Multicultural Differences.)

Each lesson is completed with an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

LEARNING AIMS

Students studying Aged Care and Counselling will undertake a variety of tasks in each lesson; learning aims for the course include:

• To discuss theories of ageing, and to develop an understanding of the different stages of human development.
• To describe the psychological impact of changes which occur as a person reaches old age.
• To understand 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.