Advantages: Excellent materials, interesting, challenging
Disadvantages: You need to commit to the time involved

...After taking a 30 point course last year (T171, You, Your Computer and the Net) and passing I decided to take the plunge and do a full 60 point Open University course this year. I work in IT and wanted something completely different so I decided to study K100 – Understanding Health and Social Care. This is a Level One course but as a 60 rather than 30 point course entails a lot more time spent studying than my previous course. I am now more than half way through and feel in a position to pass judgement and my overall view is that it is excellent. It assumes no previous experience of working in a care situation and explains things from first principles. This should mean that if you do work in a care setting you might make faster progress in the first couple of units than I did. However, because it is so wide ranging you... Read review

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Advantages: Rewarding for the carers, supportive for the cared, help available for carers.
Disadvantages: Long hours, loneliness, and tiredness.

..., but you have to enjoy caring for them; if it is a chore then the person you care for will soon know. -An understanding of peoples needs Disadvantaged people are often able to do more things than you think, but there may be other things that they can’t do that you haven’t realized. Doing everything for them is not going to help them get better, nor is it going to help your health. This is probably why the majority of carers are people who know the individual; they already understand the majority of activities that they need help with. -Trust Trust is important on two levels: Firstly the cared needs to be able to trust the carer to physically be able to help them. Secondly carers are often the people closest to the cared for and will be confided in if trusted. Without this trust problems may go unnoticed. -Selflessness Caring takes... Read review

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Advantages: Qualified care, that provides the care needed.
Disadvantages: Guilt trips of family.

...is far greater than that of residential care. Which leads on to my next point! In order to stay/ live in one of these care homes, you will need to pay a certain amount each week in order to cover services. Services are covered later, but include paying for the staff to care for you/ your loved ones. Of course, you only pay for the level of care that you receive. Therefore, nursing care is nearly twice the amount per week as residential care. There is a basic set amount that is dictated by the local social services/ council etc, and the care home will insist on a top up fee. This can vary, so should be be looking for a care home then it is worth looking around to see what the best possible value is in terms of care and/ or what is provided. Of course, your GP along with any other health care professional (including any hospital... Read review

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Advantages: variety,interesting,learning new skills
Disadvantages: can be stressful

...for doing this type of nursing( in my view) are good people skills-effective communication both talking and listening.You need a strong sense of understanding what someone is experiencing and to be able to manage risks-their behaviour may be challenging to themselves or to others because of their illness.Using different communication techniques to manage situations and to prevent them occuring is a skill which develops over time and with increased experience.Nursing is very dependent on teamwork as you have a need to trust and be trusted by your work colleagues as there may (will) be situations where you look after each other.Good teamwork means a consistent approach in delivering patient care. Finally,I very much recommend this as a career to anyone with an interest in people and who wish to reduce the stigma associated with mental health... Read review

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Advantages: Recognised qualification, huge variety of course materials - something for everyone
Disadvantages: cost (although this can be budgeted for), time consuming

...When I started with the OU last year, I didn't realise the time I would need to devote to my studies . . . or how much I would get from the course! Already working in the field of social care, i felt i needed a qualification to back up my practical experience. The K100 course offered me that, and much much more. On one level the course materials were well written and drew on a huge variety of subjects which have left me with new understandings in areas i had not previously considered. The course is divided into seven units and covers the following areas: * Who cares? * People and places * Care and communities * Working with life experience * When care goes wrong * Information, involvements and accountability * Care policies in context There is a tutor marked assessment on each unit, which counts for 50% of your total... Read review

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Advantages: There is always someone on hand for old folk who need it
Disadvantages: They have very few 'rights' when they are in there

...a wheelchair because staff weren't allowed to wheel then down the narrow corridirs due to 'health and safety' - your relative might be mobile when they go in there but they can deteriorate over ime 3. Are the staff friendly and welcoming? - are they caring and do they appear to understand what the old folk want and need or are they dismissive. Watch and learn as you are shown around - is there a happy atmosphere. 4. It there an activities programme? - and does it look appealing and interesting? Are the events likely to be stimulating and is there variety 5. Are visitors welcome any time? Do you feel like they want you to be there, did you have any problems making an appointment to view? 6. Is there adequate parking for visitors? - it might seem trivial but your relatives will enjoy visitors and they will be reluctant to call if they can... Read review

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Advantages: A 'people' job with prospects if you want to advance
Disadvantages: Low pay, low status

..., because you gain such a richness in being able to understand more about different people, and work in a great environment with great people, and that is ultimately, probably more important than the money. Saying that, the experience enabled me to go back to college and qualify as a social worker (2 years full time, hard work, but ultimately worth it!), so the prospects are there if you want to take them. My salary has literally doubled since I qualified (these bits of paper are remarkably useful!), but from time to time, when I'm making my annual visits to my clients in their residential homes, I really really miss the contact I had and the opportunity I had to build relationships when I was a residential care worker. I fell into the work. It wasn't a vocation for me, it was just a job which I got because I'd done a bit of voluntary... Read review

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Advantages: What could be more rewarding?
Disadvantages: Often only get a mention when something goes wrong.

...the problems that the vulnerable face on a day to day basis. Social workers can work in different settings, but the main ones are: local authority social services; education departments and special schools; residential care homes, day centres, drop-in and community projects; trusts, hospitals and multi-disciplinary health care teams or GP practices; youth justice teams and projects. They are go betweens for various institutions; they have to liase with health services, law enforcement, education, all the while sticking to the Government policies that are set aside for the area in which they work. The 'Social Work' bit of the job title is so diverse - you could work with anything from Child Protection Services to Educational Welfare, to Mental Health organisations, basically being, as described above, the crucial outside agency... Read review

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Advantages: Easy to obtain qualifications
Disadvantages: Time and money

...This is a review of Understanding Social Change from the Open University. This is one of several courses on social science that are provided by the Open University. This is a long review, longer than I normally write but signing up for a ten month course is a more serious use of time and money than buying a book or DVD. ****Overview of the University**** The Open University (OU) is a higher education institution that provides distance learning in the UK. The emphasis of the Open University is upon accessibility and flexibility. The most obvious sign of its existence is the education programmes that used to run late at night on BBC2. I believe that these have now been discontinued. Typically when you register with the Open University you receive one or more textbooks. In addition you may receive audiotapes, videotapes, on... Read review

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Advantages: Good Comprehensive Social Psychology Texbook
Disadvantages: None

...This book is brilliant if you want a excellent and comprehensive book on an introduction to social psychology. I first used this book to complete a project on social beliefs and I found it to be very detailed and it also has great pictures to accompany the text that is written in this book. This book can be used as a textbook, for courses like GCSE or A Level psychology or GNVQ in health and social care. (I personally used it for both, I have also used this book for the HND course that I am presently on). I think this book could also be used for people/ students who want a more detailed introduction into social psychology. Back to the book. This book has four main parts, containing 13 chapters and there is a part to this book that contains Modules: Social Psychology Applied. The book has thirteen chapters, which are: 1... Read review

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