Suicide thought and its expression, is often an invisible and marginalised area in work with people in later life. This short course draws on a developing area of research evidence to help care professionals, practitioners and care providers working in most settings with older people to consider their practice in this area. This online course runs over a 5 week period during which learners are guided through a range of evidence-based learning materials and interactive activities which cover a range of topics on suicide and later life with direct application to practice.

By the end of this course, learners will be able to:

• Explore, familiarise and develop a good understanding of the unique needs and challenges in working with people with suicide thought and its expression in later life, including key concepts, relevant theory and knowledge of research evidence.
• Identify and affirm own knowledge, skills and roles in suicide prevention.
• Identify opportunities for assessment, signposting and early interventions to support people experiencing suicide thought in later life.

The course will cover:

• An overview of research, relevant legislation and policy.
• Interaction with evidence-based case studies specifically exploring expression of suicide thought and especially the impact of suicide bereavement on later life.
• Individual activities and facilitated interactions with peer learners to support participants with their understanding, knowledge and skills to improve engagement with people experiencing suicide thought, focusing on skilled conversation and signposting.
• Reflecting on own and team's self-care needs when working with suicide.