Free Aged Care Courses Online: Mental Health Training

Until 30 June 2022, the Department of Health in partnership with the Australian Psychological Society is offering two free online courses for people working in residential aged care homes.

Applied Mental Health in Residential Aged Care: Practical Program for Clinicians is for psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, occupational therapists, mental health nurses, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers.

Funded by the Department of Health, this course counts as 8 hours of Continuing Professional Development (CPD), and covers:

• techniques for navigating the aged care system
• assessing common mental health issues
• some evidence-based psychological interventions.

Register for the applied mental health course for health professionals

A separate course, Supporting the mental health of older people in residential aged care: Mental health awareness training is available for non-mental health trained workers in residential aged care, for example registered nurses, physiotherapists, audiologists, speech pathologists, dieticians, personal care workers, attendants, and peer workers.

Also funded by the department, this course counts as 6 hours of CPD, and will help workers:

• improve their ability to identify symptoms
• gain the knowledge and tools to effectively respond to, and care for, residents’ mental health.

Read more and register for the course for non-mental health trained workers

How can I find a residential aged care home near me?

Residential aged care homes are located throughout Australia. To begin your search, simply click on your state below and then enter in your desired suburb (or the name of the aged care provider if you already have a home in mind):

• Aged care in the ACT
• Aged care in New South Wales
• Aged care in the Northern Territory
• Aged care in Queensland
• Aged care in South Australia
• Aged care in Tasmania
• Aged care in Victoria
• Aged care in Western Australia