Council on Aging Senior Guide 2011 - 145

Continuing Education Program
Are you a registered nurse, an attorney, a licensed vocational nurse, a certified public accountant, a social worker, a certified nursing assistant or a long-term care facility administrator? Are you caring for a loved one and interested in educating yourself about elder care issues? If so, make the Council your one-stop continuing education destination. When you choose the Council for your educational needs, you will not only learn valuable information, but your registration fees will provide critical support for the many services the Council provides to older and disabled adults in Orange County. Why Continuing Education The Council initiated its Continuing Education (CEU) Program in 2009 with dual purposes in mind. First, the Council recognized the vital need for education about issues involving older adults, which will become even more critical with the coming “age tsunami” of baby boomers. Equally important is the reality that the Council may no longer rely on government funding to defray the costs of delivering these services to the community. Thus, the continuing education program was created to provide a consistent revenue stream to the Council to enable it to continue to serve the needs of its clients. What Types Of Programs Does The Council Offer? The continuing education classes provided by the Council cover a wide variety of topics relating to older adults such as: Sexuality, Nutrition and Aging, Medicare Benefits, and Conservatorships. Collaborating with the Alzheimer’s Association of Orange County and VITAS Innovative Hospice Care has proved invaluable in expanding the scope of the educational programs the Council is able to offer to professionals and to the public. These joint programs address issues such as Sundowners Syndrome, Disaster Preparedness, Spirituality in Dementia Care and Approaching the Holidays in a Hopeful Manner. A Sample Program One of the Council’s CEU offerings is Sensitivity Training. This is a special program designed to heighten caregivers’ understanding of the physical and emotional losses suffered by older adults, so that they provide more empathetic care. Caregivers are often stretched thin just keeping up with unrelenting demands of providing care. Many caregivers feel underpaid and overworked. And sometimes, in the rush to provide the required care, they may lose sight of the fact that they are caring for unique individuals, each with a rich history. The purpose of this seminar is to permit the caregiver to take deep breath, step back and make an attitude adjustment. The course begins with a general discussion of ageism in our society, emphasizing the glorification of youth by the media. Attendees explore their own misconceptions of aging by taking an “Ageism Myths & Facts” survey. Next, we examine the physical and emotional losses that accompany aging through first-person
Senior Guide Orange County

video clips of older adults sharing their personal experiences with vision loss, having their driving privileges taken away and dealing with a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. In order to make these losses more real, the participants are led through series of “Sensitivity Stations,” which simulate common physical disabilities. For example, what is it like to be a stroke victim and not have the use of your left arm? How difficult is it to peeloff the lid of a small container and eat the applesauce with your non-dominant hand? What does it feel like to be pushed around in a wheelchair? How do you get to your medication when arthritis prevents you from opening the bottle? Sample Sensitivity Station Task: Put cotton balls in nose Purpose: Simulate loss of taste Task: Open applesauce tear-off lid with non-dominant hand Purpose: Simulate loss of use of left arm due to stroke Task: Eat applesauce with a spoon with non-dominant hand Purpose: Simulate loss of use of left arm due to stroke Task: Feed stroke victim Purpose: Learn patience and skill needed Class participants report that after this first-hand experience, they have a deeper appreciation of the difficulties the older adults in their care endure on a day-to-day basis. Sharing their new-found perspectives on vulnerability, dependency and frustration brings the point home. The course concludes with practical tools for practicing sensitivity and empathy. Continuing Education Course Details The majority of the Council’s CEU programs are three or four hours in length and take place at the Council’s offices in Santa Ana on weekday mornings. The Council offers 3-4 courses per month. From time to time, the Council presents all-day seminars, often in collaboration with other agencies. In addition, the Council provides on-site, customized training sessions for assisted living and skilled nursing facilities and for home health agencies. Have We Piqued Your Interest? Would you like to learn more about the Council’s CEU classes? Do you have suggestions for course topics? Lorie Eber, JD, is the CEU Program Coordinator and the contact person for any questions you might have about the Council’s continuing education programs. Please call (714) 479-0107, ext. 263 or send email to leber@ coaoc.org. We also encourage you to visit the Council’s Website, www.coaoc.org, for program details. — Council on Aging Orange County
NOVEMBER . 8 . 2010

Community Resources
145

http://www.coaoc.org

Council on Aging Senior Guide 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Council on Aging Senior Guide 2011