Provide Person-Centred Care in Aged CareCOURSE OVERVIEW: Welcome to the Provide Person Centred Care in Aged Care course. This program has been designed to equip you with the knowledge, skills, and practical strategies required to deliver care that is genuinely centred on the needs, preferences, and goals of each older person you support. Throughout this course, you will explore how person centred care shapes everyday practice in residential aged care, home care, and community settings, and

COURSE OVERVIEW:

Welcome to the Provide Person-Centred Care in Aged Care course. This program has been designed to equip you with the knowledge, skills, and practical strategies required to deliver care that is genuinely centred on the needs, preferences, and goals of each older person you support. Throughout this course, you will explore how person-centred care shapes everyday practice in residential aged care, home care, and community settings, and how a person-focused approach improves quality of life, strengthens relationships, and promotes dignity, choice, and wellbeing for older people and those who care for them.

This course begins by introducing the concept of person-centred care in aged care practice and clarifying why it is a core expectation in modern aged care services. This section explains the purpose and importance of person-centred care in aged care, provides an overview of how person-centred approaches improve quality of life beyond task completion, and outlines the role of aged care workers in delivering person-centred support through everyday interactions, decisions, and routines.

Principles and philosophy of person-centred care are then explored to establish a strong conceptual foundation for your practice. This section explains the meaning of person-centred care and how it differs from task-focused or routine-driven care, highlighting a shift from “doing to” or “doing for” towards working in partnership with the person. This section also examines the core values of respect, dignity, autonomy, partnership, and individuality, and outlines the benefits of person-centred care for older people, their families, and staff, including improved satisfaction, engagement, and morale.

Rights, dignity, and autonomy of older people are then examined as non-negotiable elements of person-centred care. This section explains human rights principles and aged care rights charters that underpin expectations for care, and links these principles to day-to-day decisions about how support is provided. This section also explores what it means to respect privacy, personal choices, and lifestyle preferences in practice, and describes ways to support independence through “doing with” rather than “doing for,” so that older people remain as involved and capable as possible in their own lives.

Knowing the person as an individual is then considered as the heart of person-centred work. This section explains how to gather life history, routines, preferences, and priorities in ways that are respectful and meaningful, and how to use this information to understand the person’s identity through their roles, relationships, and experiences. This section also describes how personal knowledge can be used to guide daily care and interactions, so that support reflects who the person is, not just what tasks need to be completed.

Person-centred assessment and care planning are then explored as key processes for turning values into practical action. This section explains how to involve the older person in assessment and care planning so that their voice, goals, and preferences are central rather than secondary. This section also describes how to translate personal goals into practical care strategies that shape routines, activities, and support approaches, and how to review and update care plans as needs, preferences, and circumstances change over time.

Strengths-based and capability-focused practice is then examined as a practical way to promote independence and self-worth. This section explains how to focus on abilities rather than limitations, and how to recognise and build on the person’s existing skills, knowledge, and interests. This section also explores strategies for supporting skill maintenance and shared decision-making, and describes enabling approaches that promote confidence and independence rather than creating unnecessary dependence.

Communication for person-centred relationships is then addressed as a core competency for aged care workers. This section explains how to build rapport, trust, and emotional safety with older people through respectful, consistent communication, and how to use active listening, validation, and shared decision-making to involve the person in their own care. This section also outlines how to adapt communication for sensory loss, language differences, or cognitive change so that information remains accessible and the older person remains included in discussions about their life and care.

Working with diversity, culture, identity, and life experience is then explored to ensure that person-centred care is truly individualised. This section explains the importance of respecting cultural, religious, linguistic, gender, and sexual diversity, and how these aspects of identity shape preferences for care, communication, routines, and relationships. This section also describes how to integrate cultural practices and identity into everyday care, and how to avoid assumptions and age-related stereotypes that overlook or minimise the person’s unique history and self-understanding.

Involving families, carers, and significant others is then examined as an important part of person-centred care in many situations. This section explains how to recognise the role of families and informal carers in the older person’s life, including their knowledge, support, and emotional connection. This section also explores how to balance family involvement with the older person’s wishes and rights, and how to communicate respectfully with families, supporting appropriate involvement while maintaining a clear focus on the older person as the central decision-maker wherever possible.

Person-centred support with daily living and personal care is then considered, focusing on how core tasks can be delivered in ways that uphold dignity and choice. This section explains how to provide personal care in ways that protect privacy, modesty, and control, and how to offer options and explain care activities clearly so that the person understands and consents to what is happening. This section also describes how to allow flexibility in routines such as meals, bathing, and sleep, recognising that people have different preferences and patterns that should be honoured whenever it is safe and reasonable to do so.

Promoting choice, control, and the dignity of risk is then explored as a key feature of mature person-centred practice. This section explains how to support everyday and longer-term decision-making, from small choices about clothing or activities through to significant decisions about health, living arrangements, and support. This section also introduces the concept of dignity of risk and shared responsibility, and describes how to negotiate and document agreed risk management strategies that respect the person’s rights while managing safety in a thoughtful, collaborative way.

Emotional, social, and meaningful life support is then examined to highlight that person-centred care goes beyond physical tasks. This section explains how to support purpose, enjoyment, and connection by recognising what makes life meaningful for each older person, and how to encourage participation in activities and relationships that reflect their interests and values. This section also describes how to recognise the emotional impacts of loss, change, and transition, and how to respond in ways that acknowledge feelings and support adjustment.

Person-centred approaches to dementia, distress, and behavioural change are then considered, recognising that behaviour often communicates unmet needs. This section explains how to understand changes in behaviour as possible expressions of pain, fear, boredom, confusion, or unmet emotional needs, rather than simply as “challenging behaviours.” This section also describes how to use life story, familiar routines, and validation to reduce distress, and how to identify triggers and respond with empathy and individualised strategies that reflect the person’s history, preferences, and current abilities.

Person-centred end-of-life and palliative care is then explored as a vital part of aged care practice. This section explains how to understand and respect personal wishes, values, and beliefs about dying, death, and what constitutes a good end-of-life experience for each individual. This section also outlines how to support comfort, dignity, and preferred practices at the end of life, and how to involve the person and their family in end-of-life planning and review so that care remains aligned with their goals and values as circumstances change.

By the end of this course, you will be able to describe the principles and philosophy of person-centred care, uphold the rights, dignity, and autonomy of older people, and use individual knowledge, assessment, and care planning to shape practice. You will understand how to communicate effectively, work with diversity, involve families appropriately, and provide daily living, emotional, social, and end-of-life support in ways that reflect each person’s identity, preferences, and goals. Most importantly, you will be better equipped to deliver person-centred care that treats older people as partners in their own lives and honours their uniqueness, history, and ongoing potential.

Each section is complemented with examples to illustrate the concepts and techniques discussed.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

By the end of this course, you will be able to understand the following topics:

1. Introduction to Person-Centred Care in Aged Care Practice

• Purpose and importance of person-centred care in aged care services
• Overview of how person-centred care improves quality of life
• Role of aged care workers in delivering person-centred support

2. Principles and Philosophy of Person-Centred Care

• Meaning of person-centred care and how it differs from task-focused care
• Core values of respect, dignity, autonomy, partnership, and individuality
• Benefits of person-centred care for older people, families, and staff

3. Rights, Dignity, and Autonomy of Older People

• Human rights principles and aged care rights charters
• Respecting privacy, personal choices, and lifestyle preferences
• Supporting independence through “doing with” rather than “doing for”

4. Knowing the Person as an Individual

• Gathering life history, routines, preferences, and priorities
• Understanding identity through roles, relationships, and experiences
• Using personal knowledge to guide daily care and interactions

5. Person-Centred Assessment and Care Planning

• Involving the older person in assessment and planning
• Translating personal goals into practical care strategies
• Reviewing and updating care plans as needs and preferences change

6. Strengths-Based and Capability-Focused Practice

• Focusing on abilities rather than limitations
• Supporting skill maintenance and decision-making
• Using enabling approaches to promote confidence and independence

7. Communication for Person-Centred Relationships

• Building rapport, trust, and emotional safety
• Active listening, validation, and shared decision-making
• Adapting communication for sensory loss, language differences, or cognitive change

8. Working with Diversity, Culture, Identity, and Life Experience

• Respecting cultural, religious, linguistic, gender, and sexual diversity
• Integrating cultural practices and identity into everyday care
• Avoiding assumptions and age-related stereotypes

9. Involving Families, Carers, and Significant Others

• Recognising the role of families and informal carers
• Balancing family involvement with the older person’s wishes
• Communicating respectfully and supporting appropriate involvement

10. Person-Centred Support with Daily Living and Personal Care

• Providing personal care in ways that protect dignity and choice
• Offering options and explaining care activities clearly
• Allowing flexibility in routines such as meals, bathing, and sleep

11. Promoting Choice, Control, and the Dignity of Risk

• Supporting everyday and long-term decision-making
• Understanding dignity of risk and shared responsibility
• Negotiating and documenting agreed risk management strategies

12. Emotional, Social, and Meaningful Life Support

• Supporting purpose, enjoyment, and connection
• Encouraging participation in meaningful activities
• Recognising emotional impacts of loss, change, and transition

13. Person-Centred Approaches to Dementia, Distress, and Behavioural Change

• Understanding behaviour as communication of unmet needs
• Using life story, familiar routines, and validation
• Identifying triggers and responding with empathy and individualised strategies

14. Person-Centred End-of-Life and Palliative Care

• Understanding personal wishes, values, and beliefs about dying
• Supporting comfort, dignity, and preferred practices
• Involving the person and family in end-of-life planning and review

COURSE DURATION:

The typical duration of this course is approximately 2-3 hours to complete. Your enrolment is Valid for 12 Months. Start anytime and study at your own pace.

ASSESSMENT:

A simple 10-question true or false quiz with Unlimited Submission Attempts.

CERTIFICATION:

Upon course completion, you will receive a customised digital “Certificate of Completion”.