Staff Training

While Active for Life is happy to provide group and individual activities to care homes and day centres for older people, the greatest investment managers and care home owners can make is in getting their staff trained to continue activities on a long term basis. A number of courses are available from Active for Life. A brief outline of course content for each of these is provided below. Click on the links provided:

• Crafts for the less able
• Running Groups for Older People
• Reminiscence Techniques
• Communication with people with dementia
• Person-centred care
• Understanding challenging behaviour
• Dementia awareness
• Developing an activity programme
• Life-story work

Crafts for the less able

This six hour course looks at how craft activities can be designed and adapted to meet the needs of older people with disabilities, and will include a range of practical activities and examples. Consideration will be given to questions surrounding what is most important in craft activities - the process of taking part or the finished product? The content of this course is also applicable to people without physical or cognitive impairments. back to top

Running Groups for Older People

This six hour course will provide care workers and activity organisers with the skills and understanding necessary for planning, managing and evaluating group work with older people. Consideration will be given to the role of the group leader, group dynamics and how to deal with challenging behaviour within the group setting. We shall also look at issues surrounding involving less able group members, and participants will be provided with a variety of ideas for activities to carry out in groups. back to top

Reminiscence Techniques

This twelve hour course gives a basic understanding of reminiscence techniques suitable for anyone involved in working with older people. Course content will include:

• What is reminiscence?
• Benefits of reminiscence
• Using triggers to stimulate the five senses
• Themes for reminiscence
• How to plan and evaluate a session
• Developing resources
• The nature of memory
• Reminiscence as communication
• Linking reminiscence to creative activities
• Making reminiscence part of everyday life

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Communication with people with dementia

This is a three hour course which links in with the courses on person-centred care and understanding challenging behaviour. Starting with an overview of why communication is important and how people communicate on an everyday level we shall go on to look at some of the communication difficulties which can arise in dementia, and consider how many of these can be overcome through looking at the meaning and feeling behind what is being said. back to top

Person-centred care

This three hour course considers the meaning of the term 'person-centred' and how it relates to our work with older people in residential, nursing and day care settings. The importance of reflection and empathy will be examined, alongside well known person-centred methods of working such as Validation, Resolution and Reminiscence. back to top

Understanding challenging behaviour

This six hour course links closely to the course on communicating with people with dementia, as well as that on person-centred care, and is best undertaken as a follow-up to these. The course will begin with an attempt to define 'challenging behaviour' and will be followed by developing an understanding of the person behind the behaviour by considering what it means to them. Working from the premise that unusual behaviours are understandable when seen from the frame of reference of the client, we shall then look at how such behaviours can be managed by meeting the needs of individuals. back to top

Dementia awareness

This three hour course will look at the changes in the brain that take place in dementia and consider how this relates to the signs and symptoms of the illness as experienced by the client and others. We shall also look at the significance of other factors affecting the experience of dementia, and the place of the work of Tom Kitwood in maintaining quality of life for those affected by this condition. back to top

Developing an activity programme

This three hour course will be useful for care workers, managers and activity organisers who wish to develop an activities programme in their residential, nursing or day care setting. As well as looking at the benefits of activity in later life, we shall consider ways of getting clients and other staff interested in taking part, and a wide variety of possible activities to include in your programme. back to top

Life-story work

This three hour course will look at the benefits of carrying out life story work, and how the usefulness of this can be maintained throughout a person's life through the use of life story books and boards. Practical consideration will be given to the best way of creating a life story book and alternative methods of recording memories. back to top