What is Aged Care?
A career in aged care can involve working in hospitals, residential and aged care facilities, community health centres or even in older people’s homes. It’s mainly concerned with caring for a person’s physical, mental and emotional health. Providing information, care and support to a patient’s partner, family and loved ones is another important part of aged care work.
A successful career in this challenging sector requires a great deal of medical knowledge as well, particularly in regards to the ways that the human body and mind deteriorate with age. You will also need to understand some serious ethical, moral and legal issues; not to mention knowing a great deal about human psychology, and thus, quality education is essential. This information is all covered in the many aged care courses at TAFE and registered training organisations offered throughout Australia, ensuring you know everything you need to enter the industry with the right skills and confidence.
Roles in Aged Care
In the aged care and community services industry, you could work as the following:
- Support Worker
- In Support Services
- In Community Care
- Team Leader
- Community Support Worker
- Personal Care Assistant
Aged Care Online Courses
Regardless of whether you simply want to help care for your own ageing parents or have your sights set on a career as a home care assistant, aged care worker or registered nurse, tafecourses.com.au makes finding the training you want, easy. Explore the range of quality higher education aged care courses on offer across Australia, including online and distance learning courses as well as in-class.
Courses in aged care cover a broad range of theory and practice, ranging from wound care, infection control and symptom recognition, ethical and legal concerns, right through to dealing with dementia. You can also learn how to administer medications, plan care regimes and conduct necessary documentation. Regardless of where you plan on working or the role you’re likely to play, tafecourses.com.au can connect you with the best programs available, as we promote everything from aged care courses in Adelaide, Diplomas of Nursing in Sydney right through to online aged care courses.
There are plenty of types of aged care courses online and in-class available at TAFEs and RTOs Australia-wide. These include:
- Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing)
- Certificate III in Individual Support (Home & Community)
- Certificate III in Individual Support (Disability)
- Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing, Home and Community)
- Certificate IV in Ageing Support
- CHC33015 Certificate III in Individual Support
Qualification Levels: Certificate III and Certificate IV Aged Care Courses
Those interested in working in the community and residential roles will love our range of aged care certificate courses, as they provide a comprehensive introduction to the industry and can take less than twelve months to complete. Whether you take a Certificate IV in Aged Care or a Certificate III in Individual Support (Aged Care), you’ll get the skills and knowledge needed to thrive in a variety of roles, including a personal care attendant or an assistant in nursing.
Certificates normally take a maximum of 12 months to complete full- time but are a fantastic opportunity to get fully job-ready and be able to step into a role in the industry with confidence. With so many aged care courses available online, you can undergo your learning at your own pace, and have access to a great variety of learning resources no matter where you are or what you’re doing.
An added bonus of undertaking a certificate course in aged care is that it can also provide you with a pathway to higher qualifications, such as the very popular Bachelor of Nursing (Enrolled- Division 2)
Bachelor Degree
If you are dreaming of a career in aged care, but want to be more focused on the health side of the industry, then a higher qualification is needed. Consider entering the fascinating world of Gerontology, the study of the ageing process. This is a fantastic opportunity to not only better understand the biological processes involved with old age, but also capture a more solid idea of what the elderly need in their everyday lives. This typically includes the physical, social and mental changes that we face as we get older, as well as developing policies and practices to apply this knowledge to better the lives of the ageing community.
If this sounds like something you would be interested in pursuing, most professionals in this industry start by undergoing a Bachelor of Social Science degree, majoring in Gerontology. This can also be done through a bachelor degree qualification in the Applied Health area, and then taking part in a Graduate Certificate in Gerontology. These in- depth courses will provide you with all the information you need to help make the golden years of the ageing community brighter, providing them with better policies to be used in aged care homes and in general, to assist them physically, mentally and socially. If you’ve already undergone a diploma in a related area, but are still unsure what to focus your speciality on, this is a great area to enter, as not only is it exceptionally rewarding and directly changes the lives of millions, but it’s also going to grow in demand.
The Future of Aged Care
Finding a job once you graduate will certainly not be a problem, as severe shortages are already throughout the industry; in fact, there are now four times more aged care positions advertised than aged care job seekers. This trend also appears to worsen in the future, because to care for Australia’s rapidly ageing population, an estimated 1.3 million aged care workers will have to be in the industry by 2050. While the aged care industry is sure to evolve in the future, qualified graduates can expect to find employment opportunities right across the country.
Professionals with knowledge of Dementia care will be in particularly high demand, as currently, over 350,000 Australians are living with Dementia, a number expected to rise to a staggering 900,000 by 2050.
Is a Career in Aged Care Right for You?
If you are looking for a career that is challenging, rewarding and meaningful, then look no further because no job can compare to caring for people as they journey through their last stages of life. While you’ll need to be patient, attentive and have a positive attitude every day at work, you will pick up sage advice and pearls of wisdom on every shift and get to meet some truly amazing people.
If you think a rewarding career in aged care could be for you, enquire on an aged care course today.