These Courses Helped A Mid-careerist Better Understand Seniors and Ageing

Being a care professional is a big responsibility. One of the most crucial aspects of the job is ensuring your clients’ needs are met – but to do so, you need to know what their needs are. This could be difficult if your clients are unable to articulate well.

This is especially familiar to Community Care staff, Helen Mok (not her real name). The 55-year-old had accumulated more than 20 years of experience in banking before she made the switch to the Community Care sector. Starting with a clean slate, she took up a basic caregiving workshop before joining the Community Care sector in January 2022 as a Care Associate at an Active Ageing Centre.

“My first two weeks at the Centre were the most challenging. Half of the time, I couldn’t understand what the seniors were trying to tell me. I remember there was one time I wheeled the client to the toilet when she only wanted some tea!”

Feeling like she needed help in enhancing her skills, Helen decided to sign up for two supplementary courses on the recommendation of her team. She chose courses that were geared towards understanding seniors’ behaviours and needs, as well as the process of ageing itself.

Helen said that after taking the courses, she felt that she could “better connect with my clients and build a stronger bond with them”.

One of the courses Helen took up was Essentials of Gerontology for Community-Based Professionals (Intermediate), an intermediate course from Hua Mei Training Academy, under Tsao Foundation. The course enabled her to gain a better understanding of ageing, the needs of older persons and the ageing experience in Singapore. She also took up a course on Basic Counselling Skills in Addressing Emotional Needs for Older Persons, which further enhanced her ability to communicate and empathise with her clients.

“I am really thankful to have taken up both these courses, which have equipped me with the essential tools to better engage with my clients,” she said.

Here are more details about the courses:

Essentials of Gerontology for Community-Based Professionals (Intermediate)

(3 days, $900)

This course enables support care staff to have an understanding of ageing, the needs of the older persons and the current climate surrounding the ageing experience in Singapore. It aims to provide them with the essential tools to develop deeper connections with the older persons and to better meet their care needs.

Basic Counselling Skills in Addressing Emotional Needs for Older Persons
(2 days, $800)

The course is designed for  frontline staff who provide direct care in the Community Care  sector. In order to deliver good care, Community Care staff have to be equipped with basic counselling skills, in order to address the emotional needs of older persons and build relationships to provide emotional support.

Interested in these courses or want to find more about other courses under the Tsao Foundation? Do click into the  and filter for Tsao Foundation (TSAO) to access and learn more about the courses. Enquiries should be directed to Hua Mei Training Academy through email (laurencelow@tsaofoundation.org) or by telephone (6593 9558).