When you’re looking after an elderly person with disabilities as a professional or family member, it can be rewarding and challenging for both patient and carer. What’s more, disabilities come in so many different forms, with disability courses being required to learn everything necessary to do the job well.
One thing is for certain - there is most definitely a right and wrong way to go about it. You want to make life as normal as you possibly can for the person you’re looking after, so there are some things you should try and remember. That’s what we cover here as we offer 5 tips on how to approach things.
Tip #1 - Be Sure to Ask Questions
You’ll learn a lot on a disability care course but not much about the person you’re actually caring for, meaning there’s quite a lot about their routine you won’t know about when you first start. Regardless of whether you are doing so as a part of a career change or because you are caring for a family member, be sure to ask questions about how they’d like things done.
Tip #2 - Do Some Research Into Their Disability
There are many different types of disability, each offering its own set of challenges. So, if you know what conditions they have beforehand, it does pay to do some research to get a better understanding of what will be required. Inadvertently triggering issues like sensory sensitivity can be avoided when you turn up knowing what to expect.
Tip #3 - Talk to the Patient Directly
As you learn on a disability support worker course, it’s important to treat the person you’re looking after like a human being. Even in instances when the patient might not be able to respond, it’s important to address them directly, as you can’t assume they won’t understand what you’re saying. Imagine it from their perspective - it’s nice to be acknowledged.
Tip #4 - Don’t Assume Help Is Required
Disability support courses teach you many things, including that you should never assume that your patient needs help with physical, medical or everyday care. Sure, you should ask the question about whether they’d like your assistance, but don’t take it as read that they need help with everything, particularly as you want to encourage as much independence as you can.
Tip #5 - They’re People, Like Everyone Else
The last of our tips deals with perhaps one of the most important aspects of aged disability care - respect. What can’t be forgotten is these are our elders. Seniors have lived long and eventful lives, so in every sense, they’re people, just like everyone else. As such, they should always be treated with dignity - like you would with anyone else you would meet.
Be a Better Carer With Aged Disability Courses From OCA
Providing proper care to the elderly is a complex matter, particularly when also catering for disabilities. Fortunately, thanks to disability courses online like our Support Ageing People With Disabilities, it’s never been easier, convenient or more affordable to improve your knowledge as a professional or family carer via a short course online.
If you’re interested in knowing more about this or any of the CPD-approved, video-based courses we offer at OCA, you can find what you need at www.onlinecoursesaustralia.edu.au. There you’ll also see a selection of easy payment options that make our courses accessible for even the most modest of training budgets.
Alternatively, if there’s anything that you need more clarity on or you simply want to discuss your career change, call us on 1300 611 404, and we’ll be happy to oblige.
