Suicide in those over 65 is more common than is generally thought. Often under reported, depression and suicide is a major mental health issue for this age group. Primary health professionals, support workers, aged care workers, pastoral care workers & clergy are often best placed to identify those at risk and to provide support and interventions. The identification and treatment of depression is an essential aspect of this work.

International and New Zealand modelling of the short and long term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic indicates that one consequence will be a substantial increase in suicide. It is essential that workers have a comprehensive understanding of how the pandemic influences mental health and suicidal thinking and behaviour in older people. Older New Zealanders have been directly affected by the pandemic. Being a significantly vulnerable community, the contracting the COVID-19 virus has serious health implications, including higher possibility of death. However the mental implications are just as significant and require serious attention. Lockdowns, self-isolating and physical distancing has heightened feelings of loneliness and isolation, issues that already are major risk determinants of suicide in older people. COVID-19 related depression and anxiety in older people will also be addressed in the workshop.

As the baby boomer generation age, many will enjoy reasonable physical health, however mental health issues, in particular depression, will be a prevalent health issue. This is not just an issue for those in primary care or aged care facilities but is one that needs serious consideration by management and workers in retirement villages.

In a study of the locations of suicide in New Zealand, it was found that apart from private home, aged care facilities and retirement villages were the most common places where older people killed themselves. This has implications for family, staff and other residents.

Placing depression and suicide in older people in a social context, workshop participants will examine the factors that promote wellbeing and those that contribute to depression and suicide. Issues such a loss, redundancy and futility, loneliness and isolation, elder abuse, quality of life will be covered.

With the upcoming referendum on assisted dying, there will be an increased public debate about whether people have the right to end their life at a time of their choosing and, if so, under what circumstances. It presents a combination of philosophical, moral, legal and ethical dilemmas which cannot be answered solely by one of these domains. The workshop will cover the complex interrelationship of factors between suicidality in older people and assisted dying as a way of clarifying the differences between the narrative of the suicidal older person vis a vis the person wishing to determine their imminent death due to terminal illness. This clarification is critical as each narrative requires quite distinct and different response by professionals.

Topics covered in the workshop:

• Grey not blue - Overview of depression and life stressors in older person and the risk for suicide

• Promoting mental wellbeing in older people

• The silent suffering - Social determinants of suicide in older people

• Suicidal behaviour vs Assisted Dying

• Identifying suicide ideation and behaviour in older person

• Support strategies for older people who are suicidal

• Dealing with the impact of a suicide of an older person and prevention of suicide contagion

This workshop is designed for those who work with older people in community or residential settings

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Previous participants' feedback

“A must attend for anyone working with older people. Learnt heaps”
Aged Care Worker

“Thank you so much for sharing your knowlege and passion. I leave with a new determination in my work”
Older Person Mental Health Nurse

“This is the first workshop I have attended that has provided such a comprehensive coverage of suicide in older people. Could see many of the factors in the people I see"
Elder Abuse Worker

'This workshop is long overdue. The issues you raised have for far too long not being addressed."
Older Person Advocate

"Absolutely fantastic. Best training I have been to in long time. So much to take back to my staff"
Director of Nursing, Aged Care Facility

"Appreciated the way you did not pathologise the aging process and provide a model to understand suicide and depression into an appropriate context"
Geriatrician

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An opportunity for a day of learning with internationally respected suicidologist, Barry Taylor

Barry has proven leadership over 30 years at local, national and international levels in using community initiatives and strength-based approaches to improve individual and community wellbeing and the prevention of suicide. His work has strongly focussed on suicide prevention, assessment and management of suicidality and postvention including leadership of New Zealand's first national response to youth suicide in the late 1980s.

Barry has lectured and mentored programmes, both nationally and internationally, and been appointed to numerous government advisory committees on mental wellbeing promotion and suicide prevention. In 2016 he was awarded the NSW Mental Health Commissioner's Community Champion Award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to mental wellbeing and suicide prevention

In 1990 he received a Winston Churchill fellowship in 1990 which enabled him to work at Columbia Univesity in New York and to develop the first youth suiciide risk assessment tool for New Zealand. As a Health Sociologist and Public Health practitioner, Barry has a long-term interest in the social determinants of mental wellbeing and suicide risk in older people, in particular older men.

After a number of years overseas, Barry is living back in New Zealand and is passionate about building the knowledge base, competence and capability within our country to effectively respond to the unacceptably high rates of suicide in this country.

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COVID-19 Level 2 & Workshop Delivery Statement

Educational events such as workshops are permitted at Level 2. From a teaching perspective, participants are encouraged to attend the face to face workshop. However it is understandable that people may be hesitant of attending training events with people from outside their known "bubbles."

TMTC is pleased therefore to offer the workshop in two formats
Option 1: Face to face group workshop at a venue
Option 2: Online workshop via Zoom

Option 1: Face to face format
For those attending a workshop, TMTC is committed to providing a training event that maximises the learning experience in an environment where physical distancing and infection prevention and control requirements are met.

You can expect:

• Workshop seating will be with 1 metre gap between participants. Venue permiting, the preferred set up will be classroom format

• Workshop registration numbers will be limited based on the size of the room so to ensure physical distancing can be met
  

• Venues will be undertaking extra sterilisation and cleaning activities during the day.
  

• Workshop catering will be served in accordance to the COVID-19 recommendation

Option 2: Online Format
Participants will participate in the workshop from either work or home. To participate in the online workshops participants must have:

• A reliable and reasonably fast internet connection

• The Zoom app downloaded onto the computer

• A suitable camera, microphone and headphones

The group dynamics and learning process of an interactive online workshop is different to a face to face workshop. While the content is the same, the delivery of the content differs at times to accommodate these differences. The technology allows for questions from participants in real time and small group discussions.

The online version of this workshop will be presented on Wednesday 16 July. Register through Eventbrite.

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WORKSHOP PLACES ARE LIMITED. REGISTER EARLY TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT

Minimum Number of Participants: 10 Maximum Number of Participants: 30

Places in each workshop are limited. If the workshop is full please register your name on the waitlist.

Payment: Payment is by either Visa or Mastercard.

Organisations can request to pay by invoice. At the payment method part of the registration process click on Change and select Pay By Invoice

Terms for Payment By Invoice

Payment by Invoice is only for NGOs, Government Departments, DHBs, PHOs, Schools and tertiary organisations, businesses.

By selecting Pay By Invoice the organisation agrees to the following conditions:

1. Your place in the workshop is not confirmed until payment has been received. Payment of the invoice must be made within seven days of registering to avoid having your registration cancelled. Late payment fees apply.

2. Please IGNORE the invoice from Eventbrite. A NZ tax compliant Tax Invoice from TaylorMade Training and Consulting will be sent to you separately which will contain bank details for payment.

3. By registering for the workshop, you agree to the cancellation and policy. (refer below). Organisations who cancel within seven days of the workshop and have not paid the invoice for the outstanding registration fee are still obligated to pay the outstanding debt.

Catering:
This workshop is fully catered. Please indicate in the registration process if you have any particular dietary requirements. If you register after the registration closing date, while every effort will be made, your dietary requirements may not be able to be catered.

Scholarships:
There is a limited number of partial and full scholarships for those wishing to attend the workshop. Full scholarships are available for mental health consumers, carers and volunteers. Partial scholarships of either 25% or 50% off the registration fee are available for full time tertiary students in health, social service and disability related courses. Further information and how to apply for a scholarship is available on the TaylorMade website.

Cancellation and Refund Policy

Workshops can fill quickly. If you are no longer able to attend the workshop please cancel your registration as soon as possible. The following refund policy is strictly adhered to.

Cancellation up to seven days prior to the commencement of the workshop: Full Refund less $30 + GST admin fee
Cancellation within seven days prior to the commencement of the workshop:
No refund but registration can be transferred to another person. To transfer your registration log on to your registration and update the name and contact details to the new person attending.
No show on the day of workshop: No refund

Cancellation of Workshop by TaylorMade: TaylorMade Training and Consulting (TMTC) reserve the right to cancel the workshop if there are not the minimum number of registrations. If cancelled, participants will be offered a refund either by way of a credit to attend another TMTC workshop (within 12 months of the cancelled workshop) or full refund of their registration fee. Refunds will made by electronic transfer into a bank account specified by the participant. TMTC accept no responsibility for any other costs incurred by participant as a result of a workshop cancellation.

Disclaimer

Organiser Contact Details
Barry Taylor
Principal Consultant
TaylorMade Training and Consulting
Email: registration@tmtc.co.nz
Office: 04 905 6145
Mobile: 022 104 5060
Website: www.tmtc.co.nz