This guide is designed to help teachers, especially in South Carolina, develop an effective competency-based vocational education program in occupational home economics, with emphasis on home health aides or homemaker services for the elderly. The course covers the following topics: the aging process (biological aging, psychology of aging, societal attitudes); coping with special needs and problems of the aging; and career opportunities in the home and in institutions for care of the elderly. The unit is organized in five competencies. Each competency consists of performance objectives matched with performance guides, learning experiences, and instructional resources. Supplemental materials provide information on caring for the elderly in their homes and in institutions. (KC)