Foundation Course -- Renu

Foundation Course Renu

• Designed for professionals and businesses serving older adults
• Aims to enhance understanding of becoming age-friendly service providers
• Focuses on respecting and supporting the needs of older adults
• Provides practical examples and actionable tips
• Ensures knowledge base to offer compassionate and responsive engagement to mature clientele

Customer Service Vignette

• Renu meets friends for a celebration at a local restaurant.
• The server has trouble reading the bill for Renu.
• A key takeaway is how the server should be aware to assist people with visual impairments.

Age Wave Vignettes

• Introduces various customers ranging in age from mid-50s to 90s
• Customers have mutual interest in a luxury cruise.
• The goal is for professionals to understand multiple clients and how to engage with diverse demographic groups.

Meet Renu

• Renu is described as a dynamic and energetic businesswoman.
• She is active, healthy, and enjoys a fulfilling lifestyle.
• She is experiencing age-related changes.

Age-Related Changes

• Aging bodies experience wear and tear over time. Causes include exposure to environmental toxins, oxidative stress, and lifestyle choices.
• Changes in stamina, strength, and sensory perception vary based on individual health, medical history, and genetics.
• Vision and hearing changes are common and impactful during middle age but may not be easy to adjust to.

Understanding the Sandwich Generation

• Renu, like many in similar age brackets, is navigating the dilemma of caring for elderly parents and their own children. This creates complex challenges.
• The sandwich generation is caring for three generations at once
• Caring for elderly parents often involves significant emotional, personal health, and financial costs.

Renu's Vision Changes

• Difficulty reading small print (presbyopia) is an age-related condition.
• Presbyopia occurs because eye lens becomes less flexible.
• Condition usually starts in one's 40s, and most people experience it at age 50.
• Renu experiences reading difficulty and holds materials further away to improve vision

Age-Related Changes to Vision

• Presbyopia is a common age-related condition causing difficulty with close-up vision.
• The eye lens thickens and becomes less flexible with age, making it difficult to focus on nearby objects.
• Glasses, contact lenses, or surgery can correct the condition.

Supporting Vision

• Simple, effective techniques for individuals with vision impairment could be applied within a workplace or home environment.
• Increasing illumination in environments can improve vision significantly.

8 Ways to Support Hearing in Communication

• Communication difficulties for someone who has hearing loss can impede social participation.
• Oral communication, a vital part of participating in society, is affected by hearing difficulties.
• Effective communication encompasses more than spoken words.
• Gestures, facial expressions, and clear communication methods can enhance understanding.

Renu's Hearing Challenge

• Renu, an example customer, has experienced some degree of permanent hearing loss due to an untreated ear infection.
• Increased background noise and high-pitched sounds can become problematic for individuals experiencing hearing changes.

ACME Delivery Phone Message

• A helpful example for effective customer service when communicating with hearing or speech difficulties.

RENU: Summary of Learning

• This section summarizes the vision and hearing changes and how they impact daily activities.
• This section also highlights Renu's experiences and how professionals may help.

Effective Communication

• Emphasizes practical communication strategies such as using eye contact.
• Suggests using clear and accurate terminology; speaking slowly, and using supporting gestures to enhance effective communication strategies.

Supporting Hearing

• Providing simple steps to mitigate difficulties in daily life

Knowledge Check

• Designed for learners to test understanding.