The AGID Training platform online course features a series of 6 Modules on the topics of:
1. Ageing Process
This module addresses ageing as a process that is common to all living beings, with particular attention to ageing of people with ID. Disabled people are no exception to the ageing process, and as they grow older, they lose their autonomy due to the impairment of their various skills and faculties.
The main aim of the module is to provide professionals and frontline staff with the knowledge about ageing process in general and to focus on the ageing process of people with intellectual disabilities. The module also explores the biological/ psychological and social issues concerning ageing as also examine healthy and successful ageing perspectives.
After successfully completing the module the trainee shall acquire the following competencies:
- Ability to reflect about ageing and ageing process.
- Ability to understand the theoretical approaches to ageing and its strengths and limitations.
- Recognize healthy active ageing for people with ID.
- Ability to communicate about ageing process to professional and service colleagues and also to people with ID and their families.
2. Person-Centered Planning
This modules intends to introduce the basics of the person-centered support: approach/tools/methods and improve the participation and self-determination of an ageing person with ID.
The first part of this module gives an introduction to a relatively new approach in the support of persons with ID. The central idea of the Person Centered Planning (PCP) is to promote the empowerment, self-determination, participation and the social inclusion of each person with ID. The PCP promotes the values of the UN convention of the rights of a person with disabilities ratified in most of the European countries. This approach is centered on the person instead on the services of the support. Beyond the introduction on person centered planning the module emphases older person’s interests and abilities instead of deficits, illnesses, disabilities. Moreover, the module presents the different tools of the PCP for the life planning and transitions.
After successfully passing this module, the trainee shall be able to have the following acquired competencies:
- Transposing the person centered thinking approach into Person centered planning.
- Supporting the clients in the process of empowerment especially in transitions (moving out, retirement ).
- Be able to apply different tools of the person centered life planning, and service planning.
- Coping with age related issues, transitions, diseases, social life, retirement, physical changes.
- Appropriate a different attitude in relation with an ageing person with ID, seeing the person with dreams, wishes, interests instead of a person getting dependent.
3. Social Network and Communication of Elderly People with ID
This module shall guide the staff into understating how essential social networks are for people with ID seen the high risk of dependency, isolation, loss of mobility, for these people. It will teach the frontline staff how to improve the contacts with the social network in order to initiate, to maintain and to improve the contacts between the ageing people with ID and their social network.
After successfully completing this module, the trainee shall be able to have the following acquired competencies:
- creating a social action map for an ageing person with ID.
- speaking and listening in team.
- sustaining communication in relation to the client.
- reflecting on yourself in relation to your job.
- solving problems and anticipating crises.
- dealing with difficulties concerning ageing people with ID in their social network.
4. Emotional Regulation for Front-Line Staff
This module will provide the staff with the necessary skills to reflect and systematically explore stress factors in their own work environment and knowledge about application-oriented strategies to reduce stress.
After successfully completing this module, the trainee shall be able to have the following acquired competencies:
- Ability to reflect and systematically explore stress factors in one‘s own work environment.
- Recognition of one‘s own risk of a burnout.
- The ability to recognise and handle organisational or personal violence and aggression.
- The ability to systematically recognise and benefit from resources available in the work environment.
- Measures to ensure a social and productive exchange in a professional environment.
- Knowledge of goal oriented problem solving strategies.
- The ability to exercise relaxation techniques.
- Reflecting on one‘s own understanding of ageing and death.
5. Pathological Ageing in People with ID
This module will teach the most common diseases of old age, how to handle an emergency situation and how to communicate effectively with people with ID.
After successfully passing this module, the trainee shall be able to have the following acquired competencies:
- Managing multiple pathologies in people with ID.
- Adopting a prevention approach to medical complications of multiple pathologies.
- Creating a supporting environment for people with ID and dementia or depression.
- Improving compliance through efficient communication with the patient and the family.
- Responding effectively to medical emergencies through emotional management.
6. Taking Care
“Caring is not just about ‘adding years to their life’, but also ‘adding life to their years”’!
The module “Taking Care” addresses address the notion of a global approach to the person and their medical and social care through the recognition of their own identity and individuality, with the greatest possible respect for their choices and intimacy. The main objectives of this module are to develop a professional attitude among staff and health professionals – so they can be prepared and equipped to deal with the specific challenges when supporting older people with intellectual disability. The modules will train professionals on who to implement safe-guarding (Bientraitance) in their everyday work while considering the self-determination approach.
After successfully completing this module, the trainee shall be able to have the following acquired competencies:
- Choosing the right methodologies and tools for the specific person and situation.
- Creating support that takes the person as a whole into account.
- Know how to write a personal support project: data collection, analysis, and co-construction of user project.
- Making correct use of the legal framework, ethical principles in your work thus assuring the users’ quality of life.