Falling Down: Problematic Substance Use in Later Life (FutureLearn)

Falling Down: Problematic Substance Use in Later Life (FutureLearn)

Learn more about the issues faced by older people in relation to problematic substance use. Older people face specific issues in relation to problematic substance use. Demography and a growing ageing population make understanding these ever more important. But older people’s problems tend to be more invisible, both in care services and in substance use services. This online course brings these issues together from a health, social care, informal carer and public health point of view.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see FutureLearn's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

It draws on international perspectives from experts in the UK, New Zealand, Australia and the USA, to compare and share knowledge, skills and best practice with the community.

What topics will you cover?

  • Introduction to the issues concerning problematic substance use for older people, context, causes, recognition.
  • Comparison and sharing of knowledge, skills and expertise across different disciplines as well as internationally.
  • Identifying interventions and best practices to tackle the issues and promote health and wellbeing in ageing populations.
  • Developing a community of practice and networking on the issues.

What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you'll be able to...

  • Describe the problems and issues that older people face in relation to problematic substance use including alcohol, drugs, polypharmacy and the specific risks and circumstances associated with ageing and health in later life.
  • Identify the key professionals and the sources of support needed by older people impacted by problematic substance use.
  • Reflect on expertise and experiences shared to identify own strengths, areas of knowledge and skills needed to support older people and their families.
  • Explore best practice and future developments for addressing these issues within a public health and community context.
Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Protecting Health Data in the Modern Age: Getting to Grips with the GDPR (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Groningen

Protecting Health Data in the Modern Age: Getting to Grips with the GDPR (FutureLearn)

Learn how the GDPR helps to protect health data and get familiar with rights, obligations, risks and safeguards. Join this course to understand how health data is protected. People use technologies to track their fitness and health. Medical and health professionals use technologies to treat patients. These technologies generate a lot of health data. With technological developments in the health sector come questions of privacy.

Self Paced
2 Weeks
Heart Health: A Beginner's Guide to Cardiovascular Disease (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Reading

Heart Health: A Beginner's Guide to Cardiovascular Disease (FutureLearn)

Learn more about how your heart works, the causes of heart disease and how to keep your heart healthy with this free online course. Learn how to keep your heart healthy. Your heart beats around 100,000 times a day, pumping blood around your body to deliver oxygen and nutrients, while taking away waste products. When your heart is unhealthy, it can’t perform this vital task so effectively.

Self Paced
4 Weeks
Introduction to Health Technology Assessment (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Glasgow

Introduction to Health Technology Assessment (FutureLearn)

Learn about health technology assessment (HTA) and quality of life (QoL), and how they’re used to decide which treatments to fund. Get an introduction to health technology assessment (HTA). This online course provides a short, interactive introduction to health technology assessment (HTA), based on the University of Glasgow’s successful online distance-learning programme, the MSc in HTA.

Self Paced
3 Weeks
CBT with Older People (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of East Anglia

CBT with Older People (FutureLearn)

Understand the ageing process and the factors to consider when using cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) with older people. Enhance your knowledge of CBT and ageing, and how to use CBT with older people. This online course provides an efficient introduction to cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) with older people. You’ll first cover the basic theory and practice of CBT, before focussing on how working with older people can be different, because of comorbidity, complexity, chronicity, and continuity and contextual factors.

Self Paced
3 Weeks
Challenges in Antibiotic Resistance: Gram Negative Bacteria (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy - BSAC

Challenges in Antibiotic Resistance: Gram Negative Bacteria (FutureLearn)

This course by BSAC is for healthcare professionals managing infections. You will learn about Gram Negative Bacteria. Identify, diagnose and treat gram negative bacterial infections. Gram negative bacteria (GNB) are a group of bacteria that can cause infection and toxic reaction in patients, yet are difficult to differentiate and treat with antibiotics due to their structure.

Self Paced
3 Weeks
Why Do We Age? The Molecular Mechanisms of Ageing (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Groningen,University Medical Center Groningen - UMCG

Why Do We Age? The Molecular Mechanisms of Ageing (FutureLearn)

Why do we age? Is there a limit to human lifespan? Can we prolong our lives? Find out with this free online course. Discover the science behind the ageing process. The “why” and “how” of ageing has puzzled mankind ever since it questioned its place in the universe.

Self Paced
5-12 Weeks
Improving Health Assessments for People with an Intellectual Disability (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
Trinity College Dublin,EIT Health

Improving Health Assessments for People with an Intellectual Disability (FutureLearn)

Learn how to improve healthcare for people with intellectual disabilities with this course for healthcare professionals. Detecting poor health and supporting people with an intellectual disability in managing their health can be challenging for healthcare professionals. During this course, you will gain valuable knowledge that you can transfer into your daily practice on how to include people with an intellectual disability in health assessments.

Self Paced
3 Weeks
Digital Wellbeing (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of York

Digital Wellbeing (FutureLearn)

Do digital technologies affect our wellbeing? Explore the concepts of health, relationships and society in the digital age. Discover how digital technology affects our wellbeing. What is the impact of digital technology on our health, relationships and society? How do we ensure our own digital wellbeing? Explore the answers to these questions and more with this course.

Self Paced
3 Weeks
OPAT: Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy - BSAC

OPAT: Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy (FutureLearn)

Learn how patients with a serious infection can be managed in outpatient settings with the help of an OPAT service. Discover the function, role and limitations of an OPAT service. OPAT is a clinical service which enables patients with serious infection to be managed in an outpatient setting. The service aims to facilitate admission avoidance or early hospital discharge. On this course, you will be introduced to the concept of OPAT. You’ll start by looking at the roles and responsibilities within the multi-disciplinary OPAT team.

Self Paced
2 Weeks
Understanding Insulin (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Southampton

Understanding Insulin (FutureLearn)

Learn more about all things insulin: from how it works, to insulin types, to side effects and guidance on how to prescribe safely. The current spend on diabetes care by the NHS is estimated to be £1.6 million pounds per hour. 80% of this is spent on managing diabetes complications, the risk of which can be significantly reduced through effective blood glucose control using insulin.

Self Paced
4 Weeks