AN ONLINE WORKSHOP FOR HEALTHCARE & OTHER PROFESSIONALS
When: Monday, Oct 16th to Sunday, Nov 12th, 2023 (4 weeks) ONLINE weekly at your discretion
Cost: $240 (Students $120) Registration Deadline: Monday, Oct 9, 2023
This workshop will be offered only if there is sufficient enrolment.
Most older adults have experienced some form of trauma over the course of their lives. It is imperative that individuals providing care to older adults understand the influence of trauma in the lived experience of those they work with to promote environments of safety, recovery, and empowerment. Participants in this workshop will explore different types of trauma from a life course perspective, identify trauma responses and experiences in older adults, and learn about how to intervene effectively. Particular focus will be placed on issues of cultural and intergenerational trauma, elder abuse, and trauma informed dementia care.
WEEK 1: What is trauma informed care?
- Define trauma informed care as it related to the care of older adults
- Common examples of trauma in the diverse population of older adults (falls, adverse early childhood experiences, intergenerational trauma, cultural trauma)
- Differentiating single incident versus complex trauma
- Using the biopsychosocial assessment effectively
- Case examples
WEEK 2: Trauma over the Life Course
- Review of the life course perspective and application to the care of older adults
- Screening and assessing trauma
- Cultural and intergenerational trauma
- Review of effective interventions: trauma informed CBT, psychoeducation, grounding techniques, exposure therapy
- Resiliency and coping
- Case examples
WEEK 3: Dementia Care
- Similarities and differences between symptoms of PTSD and dementia
- Coping strategies for patients and their caregivers
- The focus on affective experience
- Recognizing the potential role of health and social systems in traumatizing and re-traumatizing older adults
- Challenges with institutionalization and trauma responses
- Case examples
WEEK 4: Elder Abuse
- Trauma informed prevention and assessment of elder abuse
- Screening tools
- The need for organizational and systemic response and change
- Case examples
Instructors: Bailey Hollister, MSW, RSW
Bailey Hollister, MSW, RSW is a PhD Candidate in the Aging and Health program at Queen’s University. She has a Master of Social Work from the University of Toronto, with a specialization in gerontology. Bailey has worked in the past at Sunnybrook Veterans Centre and currently works at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre as a social worker on a transitional care unit.
Registration and payment available online at https://aging.utoronto.ca/642-2/