Older people's independence

Support older people to maintain their independence CHCAC317A

 

This unit is about supporting older people to keep their independence with activities of living. For example, they might need help with:

  • Home and garden maintenance
  • maintenance
  • Transport to social and recreational activities
  • Transport to appointments
  • Cleaning
  • Domestic laundry
  • Meal preparation
  • Shopping
  • Financial matters
  • Personal correspondence
  • Pet care

In general, it is about being helpful, staying within your work role, and giving older people respect.

 

 

How you will be assessed

The practical assessment will be done in the workplace over a period of time and cover the normal range of workplace situations and settings. You will have your organization’s policy and procedures, OHS industry guides, health care checklists, health management plans, personal healthcare diaries, and the equipment you normally use in the workplace. The assessment will be based on the following:

  • Give your assessor a walkaround tour of your workplace, and describe your organization, its goals, and what you do. You assessor may ask any relevant questions in order to understand what you do.
  • Supervisor observation of your contribution in team meetings
  • Review of your workplan and your workplace documents
  • Your supervisor’s reference
  • Interview based on the requirements below.
  • It may also include interviews with a selection of your clients and colleagues.

 

The practical assessment

The practical assessment will be done in the workplace over a period of time and cover the normal range of workplace situations and settings. You will have your organization’s policy and procedures, and the equipment you normally use in the workplace. The assessment will be based on:

 

Basic mathematics

Your assessor will give you a set of basic mathematical functions relating to doing your job safely:

  1. addition and subtraction up to three digit numbers
  2. multiplication and division of single and double-digit numbers

 

Hazards

You will be put in a older person's home. Identify the hazards and say what to do about each one.

 

Interview/Assignment

  1. Community engagement:
    1. Give three different examples of the ways older people can engage with their community.
    2. Why is community engagement important for the wellbeing of older people?
    3. How does community engagement affect older people do the activities of living?
  2. Explain your organization’s policies and procedures for:
    1. supporting older people to live independently.
    2. confidentiality and privacy
    3. providing services in a client's own living environment
  3. Explain three different strategies for helping older people to do the activities of living independently.
  4. What kinds of services and aids are available to you to support older people’s independence with activities of living?
  5. How do you make a referral to another service?
  6. What are the safety and security risks associated with ageing?
  7. Loss and grief:
    1. What are the stages of loss and grief?
    2. What are the signs of loss and grief?
    3. How does ageing affect person's experiences of loss and grief?

 

 

Detailed requirements

At all times:

  • Follow your organization’s policies and procedures.
  • Work within your work role and responsibility.

 

1. Support older people with their activities of living

  1. Encourage older people to use support services where appropriate
  2. Explain clearly to the older person and/or their advocate the scope of the service you will give
  3. Identify the needs of the older person from the service delivery plan and from consultation with a supervisor
  4. Ensure that your visits and services fit with the older person's established routines and customs where possible
  5. In your work:
    1. acknowledge that you are giving services in the client's own home
    2. enable the older person to give directions where appropriate
  6. Use equipment for supporting older people with activities of living.

 

2. If a client changes in their ability to do their activities of living, you need to recognize and report it.

  1. Monitor their activities and environment so that you notice any increased need for help.
  2. If an older person cannot do the activities of living independently, report it to your supervisor
  3. Help the older person to modify or adapt the environment or activity to so that they can be more independent
  4. Ask for aids and/or equipment to help the older person do the activities of living independently. For example:
    1. Appliances for cleaning, laundering and preparing meals
    2. Gardening equipment
    3. Personal and security alarms
    4. Mobility devices, such as walking sticks, zimmerframes.

 

3. Help the older person to maintain an environment that gives them as much independence, safety and security as possible

  1. Encourage and help them to maintain their environment
  2. Help them feel secure in their environment
  3. Adapt or modify the environment, in consultation with the older person, to make them as safe and comfortable as possible
  4. Recognize hazards and address them, for example:
    1. Poor or inappropriate lighting
    2. Slippery or uneven floor surfaces
    3. Physical obstructions (e.g. furniture and equipment)
    4. Poor home and domestic appliance maintenance
    5. Inadequate heating and cooling devices
    6. Inappropriate footwear and clothing.

 

4. Support the older person who is experiencing loss and grief

  1. Recognize the signs of grieving and report it to your supervisor.
  2. Communicate appropriately when they are expressing their fears and other emotions of loss and grief
  3. If necessary, give them and/or their support network information about relevant support services.

 

5. Communicate effectively

  1. Communicate orally:
    1. ask for clarification and comments from supervisors, clients and colleagues
    2. recognize and interpret non-verbal cues,
    3. provide information, and
    4. express encouragement.
  2. Apply reading and writing skills needed to work safely and as specified by your organization:
    1. follow work-related instructions and directions,
    2. interpret international safety signs,
    3. read client's service delivery plans,
    4. make notes in client’s records, and
    5. complete workplace forms and records.

 

7. Other required skills

  1. Show that you understand your work role and responsibilities
  2. Liaise and report appropriately to your supervisor
  3. Monitor older people's ability to do the activities of living
  4. Help older people according to service delivery plans
  5. Accommodate older people's established routines and customs and their right to direct service delivery processes
  6. Solve basic problems in your job
  7. Work effectively with clients, social networks, colleagues and supervisors