Aged Care Workforce
Working in aged care can be rewarding but also difficult, particularly if the people in your care have experienced trauma. There are simple things you can do to help an older person affected by trauma feel safe and get the help that they need, while also supporting your own wellbeing.
On this page:
• Trauma, Loss and Grief
• Trauma and Dementia
• Trauma-Informed Care for Older People
• Wellbeing and Self-Care
Trauma, Loss and Grief
Sadly, grief and loss are common for people in aged care and can be caused by the death of a loved one, health issues, leaving their home or losing their independence. This can make underlying trauma (such as childhood abuse or experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic) more difficult, leading to ongoing distress and other problems. You can make a difference by knowing when to tell a supervisor that the person in your care needs professional help.
What Do I Need to Know? Fact Sheet Trauma, loss and grief in older people:
What Do I Need to Do? Fact Sheet
Information about Trauma and Dementia
People living with dementia can have difficulty coping with loss and trauma because it’s harder for them to communicate, make sense of painful memories or feel safe. Find out how you can support people living with both dementia and trauma.
Providing Trauma-Informed Care
Trauma-informed care is a way to support older people who have experienced trauma without taking on a counselling or mental health role. It includes thinking about how trauma can affect someone’s behaviour, being aware of their reminders of traumatic events and giving them choices about how and when you provide their care.
Trauma Awareness Training
This course will help you learn more about the simple things that you can do to help improve the quality of life of older people affected by trauma, while also supporting your own wellbeing. This course is designed to help you:
- Understand the nature of trauma and its impacts in aged care settings,
- Manage common responses to trauma, and
- Use self-care strategies
Trauma Informed Care Training
Trauma Informed Care (TIC) is a way of providing care that recognises the impacts of trauma, and promotes healing and quality of life.
TIC is based on four principles, and this course will provide you with practical ways to provide trauma informed care. The principles are:
- Understanding the effects of trauma
- Promoting safety and trust
- Providing choice and control
- Building connections and promoting quality of life.
Wellbeing and Self-Care
Working with people who have experienced trauma can impact on your health and wellbeing, as well as expose you to trauma at work. Learn how to support your own wellbeing while caring for others.
Webinar SOLAR Wellbeing Program
Skills for Life Adjustment and Resilience (SOLAR) Wellbeing Program
An online program for employees of aged care services who want extra skills to build their emotional resilience or recover after stressful or distressing events, and trauma.
As you work through SOLAR you’ll build a toolkit of skills that can boost your mood, improve your wellbeing, decrease your stress, and help you recover after trauma.
If you have 5 minutes, you can start right now. Your progress is saved, so you can move in and out of the different topics and skills as it suits you.
