Enrolments for 2023 have closed.
Mental Health, Dementia and Challenging Behaviours
Undergraduate | USA-NURS1067 | 2023
Course information for 2023 intake View information for 2024 course intake
Learn how to support older adults who are suffering a decline in their cognitive function. Explore the different stages of dementia, so that you can recognise symptoms. Discover strategies for tackling changes in behaviour.
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Entry requirements
- No ATAR needed,
- No prior study
- Duration
- 10 weeks
FEE-HELP available
Mental Health, Dementia and Challenging Behaviours
About this subject
By the end of this 10-week course, you’ll be able to:
- Explain how dementia or mental illness can impact on a person's behaviour.
- Develop appropriate client goals and actions to support the practice of healthy activities.
- Employ strategies to maintain safety of self, family and clients.
- Mental health issues in older populations
- Depression in later life
- Dementia and its impact on the person
- Symptoms and behaviour support strategies for early stage dementia
- Middle stage dementia, strategies to reduce symptoms
- Strategies to identify and reduce changed behaviour
- Impact of environmental factors
- Supporting people in later stage of dementia
- Family engagement
- Palliative care
Learn about the mental health challenges older people can experience and develop a deep understanding of how dementia affects a person’s behaviour. Understanding the cause of behavioural changes will enable you to choose appropriate strategies to support the person and their quality of life.
By the end of this course, you’ll have a solid understanding of dementia, mental health, and behaviour change. You’ll study behaviour activation including goal setting and developing action plans to reinforce the practice of healthy activities. You’ll also learn ways to manage family and clients.
UniSA Online’s 10-week short courses give you the flexibility to upskill in a certain area, stay current with developments in your field, diversify your knowledge, or even explore a new direction in your career – without having to commit to the time and cost of a full university degree.
Delivered 100% online, you’ll be able to study where and when it suits you. Access online academic and student support seven days a week, fit study around work and life commitments, view learning resources 24/7, and log in to the interactive online environment anywhere, any time and on any device.
This is a course from UniSA Online’s Aged Care programs. Please note: you are responsible for completing any relevant prerequisite courses before enrolling in this course.
Should your course have an exam it will be scheduled for Australian Central Standard Time or Australian Central Daylight Time, depending on the time of the year.
- Portfolio (50%)
- Case Study (50%)
For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).
The University of South Australia (UniSA) is ranked as one of the best young universities in the world, and is the number one university in Australia for graduate employability. UniSA offers over 200 world-class degrees that are informed by industry and delivered with a highly practical approach to teaching and learning, and is a valuable partner with Open Universities Australia.
Learn more about UniSA.
Explore UniSA courses.
- QS Ranking 2024:
- 21
- Times Higher Education Ranking 2024:
- 21
Entry requirements
No entry requirements
Study load
- 0.125 EFTSL
- This is in the range of 10 to 12 hours of study each week.
Equivalent full time study load (EFTSL) is one way to calculate your study load. One (1.0) EFTSL is equivalent to a full-time study load for one year.
Find out more information on Commonwealth Loans to understand what this means to your eligibility for financial support.
Why study a single subject?
Bite sized study
Try studying a particular area to see if online study suits you, or upskill in just a few months with a single subject that you’re interested in.
Pursue a dream
With thousands of single subjects to choose from, you can find topics that get you on the path to your higher education goals fast.
Gain Uni credit
Most single subjects are part of a full degree. That means if you’re keen to keep learning, you can gain credit for the subjects you’ve successfully completed.
Single subject FAQs
Single subjects are the individual components that make up a degree. With Open Universities Australia, you’re able to study many of them as stand-alone subjects, including postgraduate single subjects, without having to commit to a degree.
Each of your subjects will be held over the course of a study term, and they’ll usually require 10 to 12 hours of study each week. Subjects are identified by a title and a code, for example, Developmental Psychology, PSY20007.
First, find the degree that you would like to study on our website.
If that degree allows entry via undergraduate subjects, there will be information about this under the Entry Requirements section. You will find a list of 2-4 open enrolment subjects you need to successfully complete to qualify for admission into that qualification.
Once you pass those subjects, you will satisfy the academic requirements for the degree, and you can apply for entry.
Our student advisors are here to help you take that next step, so don’t hesitate to reach out when you’re ready! We’ve also made it easier to figure out the right way to get started on our pathways page.
Our student advisors are more than happy to help you plan your online study. Get in touch with an advisor by:
You can pay up front with your credit card, or you may be eligible for a HELP loan from the Australian government depending on your citizenship status and where you’ll live during your studies.
For more information about how to pay for your studies visit our fees page or contact a student advisor.
When you’ve made your choice, click ‘Enrol now’ on the relevant course page and follow the prompts to begin your enrolment. We’ll ask you to supply some supporting documentation, including proof of your identity, your tax file number, and a unique student identifier (USI) during this process.
Your university will get in touch with you via email to confirm whether or not your application has been successful.
If you get stuck at any time, reach out to us and we’ll talk you through it.
You can also take a look at our online self-service enrolling instructions .
Close of enrolment times vary between universities and subjects. You can check the cut-off dates for upcoming study terms by visiting key dates.