Working with Older People

77328

This course will enable learners to analyse the implications of social and demographic changes for the health and wellbeing of older people and kaumātua in Aotearoa New Zealand, and to critically review contemporary developments in relevant social and health care policy.

Availability

Our distance learning courses are offered throughout the year to help you fit study around your work and life commitments.
Courses are offered up to 12 times per year depending on demand and availability of academic staff.
Exact start dates are in the course information pages and in our Enrolment dates page:

Enrolment dates

Cost

Course costs can be found on all course pages. The fees may increase annually.
Qualification cost – to give you an idea of how much a qualification may cost in total over the duration of your studies, an approximate cost is provided for many of our qualifications. This is based on the required number of courses to complete the qualification and the average cost of those courses. It does not include annual administration fees, text books and course materials or external exam fees, and is subject to annual course fee increases.

Credits

Courses are assigned credits depending on how much time and effort is needed to complete their learning outcomes. In general, each credit represents approximately 10 hours of study time.

Delivery method

Online – The course materials for online courses are delivered in an online format and all assignments are submitted online.
Mixed – These courses are delivered using a mix of online and paper based course materials. This may include receiving paper course materials, submitting assignments online, or being required to participate in online forums and learning activities.
Print Only - The course will be delivered using paper based courses materials, and assignments may need to be submitted in hard copy rather than online. This will depend on the course.

Whether courses are delivered online, on paper or a mixture of both, there may also be components such as workshops, noho marae, work experience and practicum to participate in. To find out what your course involves check the course information page.

EFTS

EFTS stands for equivalent full-time student. An EFTS is the study time required for each course and is used by the Tertiary Education Commission to decide if a course is part-time or full-time.

One year of full-time study is generally between 0.8 and 1.2 EFTS.

Level

You can tell how hard a course or qualification is by the level it is set at:

Levels 1-4 are about the same as secondary school and basic trades training.
Levels 5-7 are the same as university study.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites are courses that must be completed before another course can be studied.
Co-requisites are courses that can be studied at the same time as another course.

If a course has a specific prerequisite or co-requisite course, it will be listed on the course page under the title 'Prerequisites'. If no courses are listed, check the entry and other requirements under the qualification you are studying for. Some courses require you to have studied at a particular level prior to enrolling.

Student loans

Not all qualifications or students are eligible for student loans. You will need to meet criteria such as studying a minimum number of credits over a specific study period. It is up to you to apply for a student loan via StudyLink - Open Polytechnic does not do this for you.

Information about student loans and eligibility

StudyLink website

Teaching weeks

Teaching weeks is the number of weeks that we teach a course. This differs from the enrolment period, which is based on the course start and end dates.

For example, a 20-week enrolment period will have 16 teaching weeks, followed by four weeks to accommodate marking, any extensions and reassessments, or exams.

Workload

The workload estimate given on a course page is calculated like this:

Number of credits x 10, divided by the number of teaching weeks for the course. The hours will be rounded up to nearest whole number.

Please note, this is a guide only. You may need more or less time for study, and you may also need to do more hours during assessment due dates or exams times.

Level
7
Credits
20
Cost
2025

2024

$910 NZ Domestic
EFTS
0.1667
Delivery type

Online only
Teaching weeks 16 weeks
Workload Approximately 13 hours per week
Prerequisites Check entry and other requirements under the qualification you are studying

For more information watch the course introduction video below.

Learners will be able to assess the physical, social, psychological, cultural and spiritual needs of older people, recognise the impact of ageism and elder abuse on health and wellbeing, and evaluate issues associated with balancing autonomy and risk. The course will also consider social work practices to empower and to promote the independence, health and wellbeing of older people.

Students who successfully complete this course will be able to

Analyse the implications of social and demographic changes for the health and wellbeing of older people in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Critically review contemporary developments in social and health care policy for older people.
Assess the physical, social, psychological, cultural and spiritual needs of an older person(s) and the impact of ageism and elder abuse on their health and wellbeing.
Propose and evaluate social work practices that empower and promote the independence, health and wellbeing of older people while balancing autonomy and managing risk

Course content includes

Older people in Aotearoa New Zealand – including contemporary social and demographic changes; cultural diversity and different family formations; key social and health care policy issues.
The nature of ageing – including psychological; biological and physical changes; transition and coping strategies.
Health and wellbeing issues in old age – including psychological health; managing chronic disease; living with disability; dementia; dying, death and dignity.
Ageism – societal attitudes, challenging prejudice and discrimination.
Carers, communities and older people – including balancing needs and rights; informal care; gender, sexual identity and orientation issues; social support networks; care in rural and remote areas.
Out of home care ¬– hospitals, respite and residential care.
Elder abuse – financial abuse, psychological abuse, neglect, and sexual abuse
Cultural diversity and spirituality.
Balancing rights and risks and promoting autonomy.
Advocacy and campaigning approaches to promoting change
Mental health issues – depression and dementia.
Community and home-based support services – independent living services, assistive technology and telecare.
Skills to analyse, organise and apply research findings

Assessment

100% internal assessment

Textbooks

No textbooks are required for this course

Computer and internet requirements

To complete this course you will need access to a laptop or desktop computer, reliable broadband internet connection and a data plan able to support online learning such as streaming of videos (including YouTube), downloading content, and writing and submitting online assessments. If you are unsure if your current computer or internet access allows you to complete your online learning with us, please contact us before applying to enrol.

Learn more about our online learning and study tools.

How to enrol

Before enrolling in this course you need to:

choose the qualification you will study the course under
check the order that courses in the qualification should be studied in the Qualification Structure table. This is in the Choose courses and apply tab on the qualification page.

Work towards

You can do this course as part of these qualifications:

Course availability over the next 12 months

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

2025

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr