Caring for the Aged and Counselling

Overview

The Caring for the Aged and Counselling course from Warnborough College is designed to be useful for counselling and other care professions or anyone involved with elderly people in any other way, formally or informally.

Ageing is the process of growing old. It is a gradual biological impairment of usual functioning. Mobility can gradually decrease, the need for medical interventions may increase and old habits may need to be modified.

There is more to aging than just the physical changes though. Many other things happen as a person ages, which can (and does) impact on their state of mind. These changes generally require adjustments in both outlook and lifestyle. They may include a reduction in disposable income; change in residence, loss of peers (friends, colleagues) and loved ones.

Aims

• 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