About L&H Aged Care Professional Development Upskilling
Our leisure and health focused professional development sessions are designed to strengthen the capability, confidence, and person‑centred practice of staff working in aged care, disability, and community settings. Each session blends practical strategies with creative, evidence‑informed approaches that support meaningful engagement, emotional wellbeing, and high‑quality service delivery.
Whether your team is building foundational facilitation skills, enhancing advanced practice, or exploring opportunities for life storytelling, these sessions provide clear, accessible tools that staff can apply immediately in their day‑to‑day work.
We currently offer three distinct sessions, but specific workshops can also be tailored to your facilities and workers needs. Just get in touch with us and outline your requirements.
Why Choose These Sessions
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Aligned with Aged Care Quality Standards & NDIS Practice Standards
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Practical, immediately applicable skills
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Supports person‑centred, safe, and inclusive service delivery
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Delivered by an experienced facilitator with deep sector knowledge
About our Facilitator
Dr Karly Edgar is an experienced Leisure and Health practitioner with a background including residential aged care, the arts, and tertiary education. She has a Cert IV in Training & Assessment, has taught extensively in the Certificate IV in Leisure and Health program at Holmesglen, and has also taught at bachelor and masters levels in various practical and theoretical areas and has developed a skilled and adaptive teaching approach. Her academic background is also founded in creative practice, primarily drama, art theory and art and spirituality, and art in community, all contributing to her personal perspective that highly values the continued engagement in meaningful engagement as a vital element to life.
Karly’s PhD research focused on Eastern Palliative Care’s volunteer‑facilitated Biography Program, deepened her expertise in life‑storytelling, person‑centred engagement, and the therapeutic value of creative expression while also expanding her understanding of palliative care.
Her professional experience in aged care and her long‑standing commitment to the role of art, creativity, and meaningful activity in wellbeing, she brings a unique and highly specialised perspective to the Leisure and Health profession.
Drawing on this blend of academic insight, practical experience, and creative practice, Karly has developed a suite of targeted professional development sessions designed specifically for aged care and disability services. Her training supports staff to strengthen their facilitation skills, deepen person‑centred practice, and deliver high‑quality, meaningful engagement for the people they support.
Read more of Karly's creative experience here.
1. Facilitation Upskilling
Suitable for: Experienced Leisure & Health practitioners
Strengthen your team’s ability to deliver high‑quality, person‑centred programs. This advanced session enhances facilitation capability, supports compliance with sector standards, and equips staff to confidently adapt activities for diverse cognitive, physical, and sensory needs. Participants learn practical strategies to refine program design, overcome barriers, and lead engaging, meaningful activities across creative, cognitive, and movement‑based activities. Session Overview: This advanced professional development session is designed for qualified Leisure & Health practitioners seeking to deepen their facilitation capability and strengthen the quality of their program delivery. While Certificate IV in Leisure and Health (or other similar courses) train staff to bring strong foundational knowledge, the ability to skilfully adapt activities to diverse client needs is an area that benefits from ongoing refinement. This session begins with a structured review of current practice to identify strengths, gaps, and opportunities for innovation. Participants are guided through a targeted process to explore: - Barriers or challenges currently impacting program delivery - Opportunities to diversify or enhance existing activity offerings - Strategies for adapting facilitation approaches to varied cognitive, physical, and emotional needs - Leadership behaviours that support confident, responsive facilitation across common aged‑care activity areas (creative arts, movement, cognitive games, sensory engagement, etc.) The session equips staff with practical, evidence‑informed techniques to elevate program quality, strengthen client engagement, and enhance overall service delivery.
2. Facilitation Introduction
Suitable for: PCA/W's, Support Workers, Volunteers
This introductory session provides essential facilitation skills for staff who support or lead group activities as part of their role. Many personal care workers/assistants (PCAs) and support workers are required to facilitate activities, often without sufficient experience; this session builds confidence, capability, and clarity around best‑practice approaches. Participants gain an understanding of: - Core principles of effective group facilitation - How to lead activities for individuals with diverse physical, cognitive, and emotional needs, including dementia - Techniques for managing group dynamics while maintaining individual attention - How to prepare, adapt, and provide appropriate accommodations in real time - Strategies for balancing safety, engagement, and meaningful participation By the end of the session, staff will feel more prepared to lead groups, respond to changing circumstances, and support positive client experiences.
Leisure & Health Upskilling
3. Life Storytelling: Facilitating Autobiographical and Biographical Work in Aged Care
Suitable for: Management, administration staff, leisure and lifestyle staff, PCA/W's, nurses, volunteers
Life storytelling is a powerful tool for connection, identity, and wellbeing and many clients in aged care may wish to tell their life story, but the process may feel overwhelming; not only for the client but also for care staff. Workers may also be unsure how to begin, how to guide a group or individual through the process, or how to manage the time, or navigate unexpected complexities. This session provides a structured, practical introduction to life‑story work within aged‑care environments. Participants will gain a clear understanding of the different approaches available, including their benefits, resource requirements, and time implications. The session also supports staff to make informed decisions about which method is most appropriate for their clients and organisational context. This session introduces a range of life‑storytelling approaches suitable for aged‑care environments, including written, verbal, creative, and collaborative formats. Participants explore: - The benefits of life storytelling for wellbeing, identity, and connection - Different methods and formats, and how to match them to individual needs and facility contexts - Practical considerations and resources required for various strategies - Ethical considerations, emotional safety, and risk awareness - How storytelling programs could be integrated into existing programs and care routines Staff will leave with an understanding of the resources required, potential challenges and benefits, the organisational support needed to deliver programs confidently and sustainable in order to best assess how their facility may wish to move forward. Please note, this is not a training session in a particular style of life storytelling. This is to determine the best approach for your facility to take from the myriad available. Once a specific approach is chosen, further training methods may be required. This session equips staff to facilitate life‑story work in a way that is safe, ethical, and aligned with the Aged Care Quality Standards and NDIS Practice Standards. *This session can be a consultation rather than a professional development session, where Dr Edgar would meet with assigned personnel to discuss the possibilities and design a way forward.*
4. How to Facilitate a Reminiscence Group in Aged Care
Suitable for: leisure & lifestyles staff, PCA/W's, volunteers
Life storytelling and reminiscence is a meaningful, person‑centred practice that supports identity, connection, dignity, and emotional wellbeing. This session is an introductory session for how to facilitate a social reminiscence group in an aged care setting. This session will include The benefits of life storytelling for wellbeing, identity, and connection The decisions to be made prior to offering the group - intention, the group dynamics, the group demographics, the resources required, the time, how the group could function Practical considerations and resources required for facilitating this type of social reminiscence group Ethical considerations, emotional safety, and risk awareness How storytelling programs could be integrated into existing programs and care routines This session equips staff to facilitate life‑story work in a way that is safe, ethical, and aligned with the Aged Care Quality Standards and NDIS Practice Standards. Staff leave with practical tools to facilitate meaningful storytelling experiences that honour autonomy, uphold dignity, and support safe, person‑centred engagement. * Individuals who are interested in reminiscence and life storytelling might find our individual life storytelling sessions more appropriate.