Caring for the Elderly Level 3 is aimed to give you the knowledge to work within the Care Quality Commission guidelines with knowledge of all relevant legislation. It will help you to develop positive relationships with elderly members of the community to provide high-quality care.

You will learn the skills required to provide person-centred care that looks after the health, safety and welfare of individuals as well as recognising specific conditions and any relevant care needs of the individual.

Support is provided for up to 12 months but it is entirely up to you how quickly you work through the course. The estimated study time is 120 hours so if you average around 5 hours a week study you would complete in 6-7 months.

The Caring for the Elderly Level 3 course can be studied online or via a paper version. The paper version is delivered hard copy in folders. This is yours to keep so you can write on it, make notes etc. The online version is a fully digitised version of the paper course and can be studied on any PC or smart device when connected to the internet.

Support is provided throughout the course via a tutor who can be emailed at any time should you come across anything you are unsure of. There is also a support team by telephone.

Caring for the Elderly Level 3 is split into six units. At the end of each unit you will complete an assignment which you will email to your tutor. An assignment is a set of questions based upon the unit you have just studied. Your tutor will mark your work and give you feedback. If there are any areas for improvements or anything that you have misunderstood you will always have the opportunity to re-submit.

The good news is there are no exams! Once you have completed all the assignments you complete the course.

Unit 1: Health and Social Care

• The Care Quality Commission
• Types of care available to the elderly
• Roles of workers within health and social care

Unit 2: Safeguarding of Vulnerable Adults

• Safeguarding of vulnerable adults (SOVA)
• Categories of Abuse
• Procedure in circumstances where abuse is suspected
• Confidentiality
• Legislation: the Data Protection Act
• The Human Rights Act
• Equality and Diversity

Unit 3: Enhancing Relationships

• Principles of person-centred care
• Care planning
• Assessment
• Record keeping
• Verbal communication
• Non-verbal communication

Unit 4: Health and Safety

• Health and Safety Legislation (1974)
• Risk assessment
• COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health)
• Cleaning agents and chemicals
• Bodily fluids
• Administering and storing medication
• Consent
• Moving and handling
• Transferring service users
• Infection control

Unit 5: Management of Dementia and End of Life Care

• Nutrition
• Carbohydrates
• Proteins
• Fats
• Fibre
• Fluids
• Vitamins
• Minerals
• Signs of malnutrition
• Types of dementia
• Diagnosing dementia
• Support services
• Difficulties particular to dementia
• Activities that help people with dementia
• The Mental Capacity Act
• Deprivation of Liberties Act
• End of life care
• Gold Standards Framework

Unit 6: Common Conditions in the Elderly

• Diabetes
• Care of the skin
• Prevention of pressure sores
• Congestive heart failure
• High blood pressure
• Infection
• Lung disease
• Problems with valves
• Obesity

At the end of this course successful learners will receive a Certificate of Achievement from ABC Awards and Certa Awards and a Learner Unit Summary (which lists the components the learner has completed as part of the course).

The course has been endorsed under the ABC Awards and Certa Awards Quality Licence Scheme. This means that Open Study College has undergone an external quality check to ensure that the organisation and the courses it offers, meet defined quality criteria. The completion of this course alone does not lead to a regulated qualification* but may be used as evidence of knowledge and skills gained. The Learner Unit Summary may be used as evidence towards Recognition of Prior Learning if you wish to progress your studies in this subject. To this end the learning outcomes of the course have been benchmarked at Level 3 against level descriptors published by Ofqual, to indicate the depth of study and level of demand/complexity involved in successful completion by the learner.

The course itself has been designed by Open Study College to meet specific learners’ and/or employers’ requirements which cannot be satisfied through current regulated qualifications. ABC Awards & Certa Awards endorsement involves robust and rigorous quality audits by external auditors to ensure quality is continually met. A review of courses is carried out as part of the endorsement process.

ABC Awards and Certa Awards have long-established reputations for providing high quality vocational qualifications across a wide range of industries. ABC Awards and Certa Awards combine over 180 years of expertise combined with a responsive, flexible and innovative approach to the needs of our customers.

Renowned for excellent customer service, and quality standards, ABC Awards and Certa Awards also offer regulated qualifications for all ages and abilities post-14; all are developed with the support of relevant stakeholders to ensure that they meet the needs and standards of employers across the UK.