Healthcare

• To give the knowledge and skills needed to identify abuse, mistreatment and neglect - including covert or hidden abuse or abuse in its early stages.

• To help identify care practices that might lead to or contribute to elder abuse.

• To understand the actions that needs to be taken if elder abuse is discovered or suspected.

Unit 2
 Identify the care settings for older people
 Identify members of the health care team available in each care setting
 Identify a range of specific services that are available for older people in the areas of education, life long learning, the workplace, leisure and retirement
 Current approaches towards developing quality in the provision of services for older people and their families to include standards and quality assurance
Unit 3

 Range of needs of older people: emotional, psychological, recreational, financial, environmental and spiritual
 The role of the health care assistant in providing care for older people
 Communicate effectively with the older person, his/her family and the multidisciplinary team
 Promote the following in caring for the older person: advocacy; empowerment; independence; individualised care; dignity; respect; choice; self-esteem
 Understand the importance of family/carers as partners
 Strategies to improve personal effectiveness in the workplace
 How health promotion issues can be introduced in care settings for older people
 Provision of therapeutic interventions that will enhance social interactions and quality of life of the older person
Unit 4
 Identify and adapt care and practices to meet the needs of older people with cognitive and sensory impairment and/or physical disabilities
 Issues related to an older person with mental illness
 Issues related to an older person with dementia
 The impact of living with chronic illness
 Individual needs of the dying person and their families
 Performance of duties in a way that is respectful to the person’s body after death

Or
Portfolio of evidence of prior qualifications in quality management together with the application of learning or competence (e.g green/black belt project reports, reflective papers or journals). Two references from appropriate signatories in the candidate’s organisation will be accepted as evidence. Candidates may be required to attend an interview prior to enrolling on the programme.

There are also a limited number of free places available for unemployed students who meet the required criteria by ULearning Skillnet.

Please note there are only a limited number of subsidies available for both employed and unemployed students.

Jobseekers please be advised that the Department of Social Protection (DSP) has no mandate to extend welfare support to clients undertaking NFQ Level 9 Programmes. Such programmes cannot be approved by DSP, and on that basis are designated SKN-E. Notwithstanding the above, we may offer a NFQ L.9 place to a welfare recipient. This is conditional on our network informing the individual, during the recruitment & selection phase, that the:

Welfare payment must be relinquished should he/she wish to pursue the programme

Trainee must inform the Social Welfare Local Office (SWLO), prior to commencement, about his/her intention to undertake an SKN-E programme, so that the Office can take the necessary steps to review/withdraw payment

Unfortunately, Skillnets cannot seek exceptional approval from DSP for any jobseekers that wish to accept a place on one of the ULearning Skillnet Level 9 courses.

In Company Project
Programme completion requires a substantial industry based project, reported in the form of management report. The expectation that the project would realise savings of at least €30,000 for the participant organisation. The project will require the application of the concepts covered in the course. The output of the project should involve a significant benefit to the company. The Student, Supervisor and Company will agree the success metric for the project as part of the topic selection process.

Examples of success metrics could include:
the improvement of a specified performance indicator by an agreed amount.
the quantifiable addition of value to process or service which was the focus of the project.
a cost saving of the order of €30,000 which must be verified by the company, or in the case of a Small to Medium Enterprises, (SMEs, <250 employees), project savings must amount to 0.1% of annual turnover.
An example could be a kanban system that could result in cost savings through inventory reduction to the value of €50,000, or an increase in machine efficiency by 5%, or a reduction process cycle time by 10%.

Students receive a learning pack containing course notes and relevant text books that have been customised by the collaborating organisations for the Irish health sector, using cases and examples from Ireland and the UK.