Older Person Mental Health First Aid (OPMHFA) - Face to Face Workshop (Sep 24 - 25, 2025)

Older Person Mental Health First Aid (OPMHFA) - Face to Face workshop is organized by Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association (APNA) and will be held from Sep 24 - 25, 2025 at Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Description:
The Older Person Mental Health First Aid (OPMHFA) course teaches participants who work with, care for or support adults aged 65 and over how to provide initial support to someone that might be experiencing a mental health problem or crisis until professional help is received or the crisis resolves.

The training in this course assists participants in managing and intervening in possible mental illnesses in the following ways:

• Early Intervention – Educating students to recognise the warning signs of mental health problems
• Understand what support is available– through learning the skills to speak openly and accurately about mental health
• Confidence to respond in a crisis – knowledge of how to respond to a range of crises where an older adult may be at risk of harm
• Reducing the stigma – understanding stereotypes and increasing support for older adults experiencing and living with mental health problems.

Why nurses should attend:

• Improve knowledge
• Improve confidence
• Specific education health care professionals working with the over 65 years age group
• Basic MFHA knowledge to assist the care community.

What they will learn:
Students will learn how to apply mental health first aid to older adults aged 65 and older across a range of common mental health problems and crisis situations, including:

• Depression
• Anxiety, Panic Attacks
• Confusion and dementia
• Suicidal thoughts and behaviours
• Delirium
• Behaviors of concern and unsafe behaviours caused by confusion