Older Person’s Mental Health – Depression e-Learning
EL Learning Design has been awarded a grant by NHS England to develop an e-learning course to
support individuals working with older people to identify signs of depression and provide the
necessary support. The e-learning will consist of some animated videos introducing the topics, some
podcasts to delve deeper into the topics, and some interactive resources which will draw inspiration
from real life stories and allow learners to put their learning into practice. The learning will be
available on the NHS Learning Hub.
Podcasts are edited pieces of audio content where people talk about a given subject, a bit like a
radio programme. Podcasts are made available on the internet for people to listen to and download.
We will be using the podcasts to share stories to help the learners understand the topics presented.
We are developing an interactive resource called ‘Kitchen Conversations,’ which draws inspiration
from real-life stories. This resource allows learners to interact with various character stories using
objects. Each object represents different memories, thoughts, and emotions, enabling learners to
gain a deeper understanding of the characters’ experiences. At the end of each story, learners will
have the opportunity to apply their understanding by engaging in initial conversations aimed at
finding ways to provide support. And what better place to have these conversations than in a
kitchen, over a cup of tea?
How can you help?
It is important that the podcasts and interactive resources represent the experiences of older people
themselves, and of people who work with older people. We are looking for both residents and staff
to talk to us to share their experience of aging.
Residents
To develop the Kitchen Conversation interactive resource, we are reaching out to older people who
are willing to share objects that hold personal meaning to them, along with the stories behind them.
These stories can be happy, sad, or even funny, as long as the objects hold significance to the
individuals. We would like to visit your home to run a group activity with residents where we would
have conversations over a cup of tea, about their cherished objects and the memories they evoke.
Through these conversations, we hope to weave together a diverse range of real-life stories, creating
a comprehensive and authentic resource. The questions we will ask are shown at the bottom of this
leaflet.
We can visit your home at a time that works for you and will work with you to organise the activity in
a way that works for your home. Ideally, we would like to record the conversations. The recording
will not be shared with anyone. It will only be listened to by us and will be used to support the
development of the Kitchen Conversation interactive resource. We will delete the recording as soon
as we have created the resource.
This activity would take no more than an hour. We can supply tea and biscuits for this activity.
Staff
We would like to talk to staff about their experience of working with older people and identifying
and supporting people with depression. The questions we will ask are shown at the bottom of this
leaflet. Ideally, we would like to record the conversations for two purposes:
- To use parts of the audio recording in the podcast. We would ask staff to consent to this
when we are recording. They will have an opportunity to withdraw their consent if they
want to, before we edit the final podcast. - For our team to review and use their experiences to help develop some of the content for
the e-learning, particularly the case studies. Their words will not be used directly, and they
will not be identified in the learning material.
Staff do not have to agree to use the recording in the podcast to take part. We would still value their
contribution to support the development of the e-learning material.
We would aim to talk to staff in the same visit as the group activity for the residents. We can talk to
them in groups or individually.
By investing in the development of this resource, our goal is to help learners recognise the
importance of building relationships with older people and understanding their unique life
experiences. This training will empower learners to provide effective support in a variety of settings.
We greatly appreciate your participation in this project, as your stories and objects will contribute to
the creation of a valuable resource. Your involvement will help us shape a training resource that
truly reflects the needs and experiences of older individuals.
Who do I contact to express my interest in taking part?
For more information or to express an interest in taking part, please contact:
Dr Lizzie Mills
Director
EL Learning Design
[email protected]
07941 226314